The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) has approved a $0.50 increase in ticket prices for all championship events for the 2024-25 school year. NYSPHSAA representatives stated in the organization’s central committee meeting minutes it is attempting to increase revenue “due to rising championship expenses.”
“Based on 100,000 attendees at NYSPHSAA Championships each year, there is an anticipated $50,000 increase in revenue,” the minutes stated. “Those venues that do not permit the use of GoFan will continue to allow for cash sales, where the final ticket prices will be $10.50 plus fees. Tickets for the JMA Wireless Dome and MVP Arena would be $12.50 due to their current $2 fee per ticket sold. Tickets sold through contractually obligated platforms such as Ticketmaster or SeatGeek will have additional fees added on, which is outside the control of NYSPHSAA.”
The central committee also approved a new pool play format for the winter girls volleyball state tournament. The final four teams in each class will now play three-set matches against the other semifinalists, and the top two teams will play a state championship match. The pool play matches will have a 15-point third set, while the state title match will be a traditional five-set match.
The meeting minutes state that the change is being made to guarantee teams a minimum of six sets in the state final four, instead of a minimum of three sets that could be completed in 45 minutes.
A change was made to provide football teams the chance to make up games lost to forfeits. A win by forfeit will not count against a team’s maximum number of games played, allowing teams to reschedule a game for that week.
Additionally, a football player who is disqualified from a game will only have to sit out two consecutive halves, instead of the remainder of that game and the next one. For example, a player who is ejected on the first play of the game will sit the second half of the game they were ejected from and the first half of the next game.
The central committee also officially approved freestyle girls wrestling for the 2024-25 school year.
Softball will adopt the NFHS rulebook, pending approval at an October meeting. The biggest changed with the NFHS ruleset include the lack of an extra player in the lineup and the ability for coaches, not just home plate umpires, to deem a field unplayable.
Most sports adopted a new regional rotation, meaning sections won’t play the same section in regionals every year. Most sports also slightly changed their classification enrollment numbers.
An idea was also presented for at-large teams to be added into regionals. That would allow for teams that lost in the sectional final to potentially make the regional tournament and create a regional weekend. At-large teams would be chosen based off past success among the runners-up in the sections participating in the regional.
