Proposal to expand 8-man football state tournament voted down: Here's why

Expansion of New York state's 8-man football tournament hit a snag this week.

The NYSPHSAA's executive committee met for its quarterly meeting on Long Island on Tuesday and Wednesday, and voted on a number of high school sports-related subjects. Among them was a proposal to adjust the state's 8-man football tournament by adding multiple teams to the mix.

However, the proposal was defeated by a 27-to-20 vote and the tournament's format will, presumably, maintain status quo.

In 2023 , the NYSPHSAA held a five-team 8-man state tournament, which included Section V. The winner ( Section V's Pembroke ) was denoted a "regional champion" because, unlike the other football classifications, not enough state sections participate in 8-man to warrant a full-fledged state tournament.

The proposal would've awarded at-large berths to the state tournament to bring total participation to eight teams, with Syracuse's JMA Wireless Dome hosting the regional championship the same weekend as New York state's other finals. If passed, the new regional rotation would've debuted this fall with Section V receiving two entries to the 8-man tournament.

However, adding an additional game to the Dome's slate would've incurred an estimated $13,400 of additional expenses (a fraction of which would be offset by ticket sales).

The proposal was previously defeated by the NYSPHSAA's championship advisory committee by a 9-to-1 vote.

According to the NYSPHSAA website , the 8-man regional championship is currently slated for Friday, Nov. 29 at Vestal High School near Binghamton, during state semifinal weekend.

Section V is set to have five 8-man programs in 2024: Bolivar-Richburg, Holley, Pembroke, Red Jacket and Wellsville.

Other notes from the latest NYSPHSAA executive meeting:

• Four Rochester-area venues were approved for upcoming state championships, on a three-year basis beginning in 2025-26: The Webster Aquatic Center (girls swimming), Roberts Wesleyan and Finger Lakes Community College (co-hosting boys volleyball), and Mill Creek Golf Course (boys golf). Mill Creek's bid marks the first time Section V will host the boys golf state championships since the inaugural tournament in 1973.
• When picking championship venues , the NYSPHSAA typically prefers facilities with the lowest cost. Mill Creek, competing against incumbent host Mark Twain Golf Course (Elmira) and Appleton Golf Course (Canton), included the highest expense (an estimated $11,400, including $38 per player) of the three bids. However, the Mill Creek bid includes lunch donations for the players (about $2,000 in value), volunteers from the Rochester District Golf Association and a link-style course that the NYSPHSAA apparently preferred despite the cost.
• The boys hockey rulebook is removing language that, at the referee's discretion, could penalize teams for a goalie change if the official feels the substitution is a delay tactic. Under the new rule, any goaltender that enters the game must remain until the next stoppage in play and cannot be removed for a sixth attacker, or a delay of game penalty will be assessed.
• The state's first flag football state championships, held June 1 and June 2 at Cortland High School, were a financial loss of $2,259 for the NYSPHSAA. The state currently recognizes two classifications (Division I and Division II) for flag football, but is discussing adding a third for spring 2025 (Section V's Bishop Kearney won the Division II title this spring). Cortland will remain the event's host through 2026.
• The NYSPHSAA is raising ticket prices for championship events by $0.50, beginning in 2024-25, which would raise revenue by $50,000 per 100,000 attendees. The association reported a record 116,796 attendees to its championship events in 2023-24, which boosted overall ticket sales to over $1.1 million. Ticket prices typically range from $10 to $12.

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Proposal to expand 8-man football state tournament voted down: Here's why