Michigan high school sports rule changes include bigger state tournaments, wardrobe updates
(FOX 2) - Close to 100,000 Michigan students will enter the high school sports season with new rules awaiting them.
Changes to the playoffs and rules will take effect in several sports, including soccer, football, tennis, swimming, and cross-country. The changes officially went into effect on Aug. 7.
Among the bigger changes coming to high school sports larger fields during post-season play for swimming & diving and tennis, and more opportunities to compete against out-of-state teams for all sports.
The football championships that are played at Ford Field are also being moved to accommodate the Michigan State-Penn State football game.
MORE: 1-and-1 free throws will be eliminated in high school basketball next year
Here's a breakdown of each sport-specific change coming this season:
Volleyball
For volleyball, teams will stay on the same bench for the duration of a match unless an official determines a clear disadvantage exists for one side. Other changes include where coaches can be positioned during matches.
During dead-ball situations, an assistant coach will be permitted to stand within the coaching zone to provide instruction as well.
There are also wardrobe rule changes that will provide more flexibility to one's uniform. For Volleyball, small, secured studs or posts can now be worn above the chin.
Cross-country
There is also a wardrobe shift for cross-country athletes, who will now be permitted to wear temporary body adornment that's either been painted or fastened during a competition. Runners may also were any type of head attire during a race.
Soccer
There's a major change coming to the schedule for boys soccer whose teams are competing in the finales. All four games will be played on the same field on the same day on Nov. 4. It'll take place at Grand Ledge High School.
There will also be two changes for officiating, including allowing referees to stop the clock to check on an injured player without that player being required to leave the match. The previous rule required that injured player to sub out.
The other change redefines categories for fouls. There are three categories now: careless (a foul that doesn't receive a card), reckless (a foul with a yellow card), and excessive force (a foul with a red card).
Football
The shift in schedule for the state final across all divisions of high school football will only be for one year to accommodate a college football game between MSU and PSU on Friday, Nov. 24. All high school games will now take place a day later - on Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 25 and 26).
The biggest rule change will be the spotting of the ball after a penalty against the offense when it happens behind the line of scrimmage. Instead of being marked from the spot of the foul, the penalties will be marked from the previous spot, which will eliminate excessive penalties on the offense when an infraction takes place.
Swimming & Diving
A restructuring of qualifying times for swimmers and divers will allow a larger field to compete at the state finals. From now on, qualifying times will be based on the past five years of MHSAA race data, while also accounting for the past numbers of qualifiers in each swim race.
For swimmers specifically, there are modifications to the backstroke and breaststroke events.
Tennis
In Tennis, for the first time in matches among athletes in the lower peninsula, a No. 1 doubles pair from a non-qualifying team will still be able to advance from its Regional to Finals competition. To do so the pair must finish first or second at its regional match and the No. 1 singles player from the team must have also qualified for Finals individually.
Golf
For those competing in the MHSAA Tournament in golf, players will now be required to participate in at least four competitions for the high shool team in order to compete at the tournament. They can be either nine or 18-hole events.