IHSA Proposes Expanded Football Playoffs, Transfer Rule Changes
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) has released a series of bylaw proposals that, if adopted, would substantially alter the landscape of high school athletics in the state. Among the most notable changes are potential expansions to the football playoffs and a new transfer eligibility rule.
Proposal 9, submitted by Lake View High School, would permit a student to become eligible for transfer when moving to reside with the other parent, provided that parent has established residency for at least six months. This effectively allows one free transfer for students experiencing a parental relocation.
Football is facing considerable proposed changes. Proposals 19 and 20, supported by numerous schools and detailed by Friday Night drive’s Steve Soucie, aim to increase the number of playoff teams and reintroduce a regionalized scheduling system dubbed a “flexed regional system.” proposal 19 would add 16 teams to each football class, granting byes to the top 16 teams in 7A/8A and the top 8 teams in all other classes.
Further adjustments to the football calendar are outlined in Proposal 18, which seeks to move the start of the fall sports season from the Monday of Week 6 to the Wednesday of Week 5, and Proposal 19, which would move the first football games one week earlier.
Other proposals address various sports and logistical concerns. Proposal 11 (Lake Forest) would allow athletes to participate in two non-school competitions during a season, plus one sanctioned by a National Governing Body. Proposal 16 (Riverside-Brookfield) aims to prevent state series contests from being played on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Proposals 21, 22, and 23 would adjust season start dates for boys volleyball, girls softball, and girls wrestling, moving them up by one or two weeks respectively.
Changes to the enrollment multiplier used for competitive balancing are also under consideration. Proposal 14 (Sangamo Conference) suggests modifying the multiplier from 1.65 to 2.5, while Proposal 15 (Geneseo) introduces a tiered multiplier for non-boundaried schools based on population density within a 30-mile radius, ranging from 1.5 (under 200,000 population) to 2.0 (over 1 million population).
Proposal 10, submitted by the IHSA board president, includes wording changes recommended by the IHSA’s legal counsel and adds “prospective student-athlete” to the recruiting bylaw, as well as replacing ”parents” with “guardians” throughout. Proposal 12 (Glenbard South/Naperville North) establishes guidelines for schools to send 20 athletes to IHSA-approved football combines. Proposal 13 (DeKalb) establishes a no-contact week for summer football activities around July 4th.
the full list of proposals is available on the IHSA website: https://ihsa-assets-prod.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/images/news-content/2025/10/file_690506e9b37315.36217513.pdf.
