Group: Friday nights are for HS football

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

The high school football season is upon us, and it’s an exciting time of year.

The brand new season always seems to bring hope and optimism, regardless if your favorite team has struggled in previous years, or has been a perennial powerhouse.

Friday nights have long been considered prime time for high school football, but each year, spurred by television exposure and dollars, more colleges and universities have agreed to play games on Friday nights.

The trend has drawn a reaction from the National Federation of State High School Football Associations. The organization recently released a statement that reads in part:

In an effort to re-emphasize that Friday nights in the fall should be reserved for high school football, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has adopted a resolution that urges schools and teams at the college and professional levels to honor that longstanding tradition and schedule games on other days.

The NFHS membership, composed of state high school associations in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, has adopted the following resolution:

“Be it RESOLVED that every Friday night during the fall in America is ‘High School Football Night.’

“Be it FURTHER RESOLVED that college and professional football teams should refrain from scheduling contests on Friday nights. Such restraint would be an investment in their own future success. It would also demonstrate that high school football has value well beyond the field of play. Schools, communities and scholastic teams for girls and boys all benefit when football is strong.

“THEREFORE, the National Federation of State High School Associations urges all parties to observe the central premise of this resolution.”

Although some major college football games have been played on Friday nights for about 20 years, the numbers continue to increase. This year, more than 50 major college football games will be played on Friday nights, including eight on September 1 – the Friday night before Labor Day weekend. Most recently, the Big Ten Conference joined a growing number of conferences that has scheduled a handful of games on Friday nights.

It’s extremely doubtful the resolution will change anything. But ask any true high school football fan and they’ll agree — Friday nights are for high school football.