Meriden to Allow High School Football to Be Played This Fall

The City of Meriden said Thursday it will allow high school football to be played this fall.

It is unclear what exactly the announcement will mean for the city's high school football teams since the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference decided earlier this month that it would not move ahead with a season after the Department of Public Health deemed the sport high-risk for COVID-19 transmission.

The CIAC said football teams could choose to play as club sports outside the governance of the organization and there are also several people working to set up independent private football leagues.

Meriden is not recommending that teams play this fall, but city officials recognize that football games may occur either as a club sport or in one of the private leagues.

City Manager Tim Coon told NBC Connecticut Meriden will not prohibit the teams from using city fields if and when they do play.

"I wouldn't say we're comfortable. What we're doing is managing it," Coon said.

City health officials have put together a strict set of requirements for the games to be played:

• Any positive test for COVID 19, by any player, coach, assistant coach, or any other individual involved with a high school team that is deemed by the Director of Health and Human Services to have exposed the team, will require that entire team to quarantine for the required 14 days.
• If the State of Connecticut COVID positivity rate exceeds 5% on any day during the football season, game play, at a minimum will be halted. Additionally, if the State in any of its ministerial decisions, indicates that game play will be halted, that also will conclude high school football game play.
• High school football in Meriden will be conducted under the Football Return to Action Plan. The State of CT Reopen Rules for Sports must also be followed. Violations of the Reopen Rules may lead to games being halted/seasons being cancelled.