The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced on Friday that member schools have voted to approve a special by-law proposal that will affect the start date of the 2026 football season and the number of practices each player must complete before competing in the first game.
The proposal passed with 290 votes in favor, 245 opposed, and 67 with no opinion. Voting began on January 29th with 75 percent of IHSA membership participating in the special election.
As a result of the vote, the first official practice date for the 2026 IHSA football season will be moved up to Wednesday, August 5th. Additionally, each player will now be required to complete 12 days of on-field practice—excluding Sundays—before they are eligible to play in their first contest.
The vote follows a decision last December by IHSA member schools to expand the IHSA Football Playoffs by one week. That earlier change had reduced the required number of practices before the first contest from the usual standard to nine. Following that vote, the IHSA held extensive discussions with its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and various state and national leaders focused on player safety. These discussions led the IHSA Board of Directors to initiate the process for this special vote to address both the season schedule and player safety protocols.
Broadcast of Fairfield Mules football returns this August on WFIW-FM 104.9. Fans can tune in each Friday night throughout the season. Also, ALL home games will be video-streamed on our website, wfiwradio.com with high resolution graphics plus a live on screen scoreboard with video replay.