Southland sets Conference Forfeiture Policy for upcoming season

Contests Cancelled Due to COVID-19 Will Not Be Rescheduled

FRISCO, Texas – The Southland Conference announced Wednesday that it will not plan to reschedule league competitions due to COVID-19 impacts in the upcoming 2021-22 academic year.  A team unable to participate due to COVID-19 issues will be subject to forfeiture reflected in Conference results, standings and tournament seedings.  This policy is subject to change based on national, statewide and local medical conditions, as well as directives from the NCAA and institutional leaders.

“With the full support of the Southland’s presidential Board of Directors, and with normal playing formats that won’t accommodate the necessary schedule changes we experienced last year, moving games at this point is not an option,” Southland Commissioner Tom Burnett said. “We’d much rather see our teams compete at their full potential in the year ahead and hope we can avoid any unfortunate forfeitures.  Further, we continue to encourage all Southland participants to seek professional medical guidance as it relates to vaccine opportunities, including those readily accessible on each of our member campuses.”

Also, unlike last year, the Southland will not establish team roster or positional minimums in order to play league contests.  While possible forfeitures could impact competitive standing within the Conference and postseason positioning for some teams, the NCAA has longstanding policies designating most forfeitures as “no contests.”  Thus, any forfeits due to COVID-19 will not be recognized by the NCAA for statistical purposes, game results or coaching records.

For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, access www.vaccines.gov.