UIL Athletic schedule breakdown

As it stands for (2021-2022) the UIL has a total of 13 sports broken up into two categories (Fall and Spring). The UIL has 13 different sports scheduled as follows; 4 fall sports and 9 Spring sports. Football slightly overlaps into basketball's preseason but only slightly. Football players who also play basketball can do so, with minimal interference.

Main issue

Basketball and Soccer only having a month gap between start dates causing the two sports to drastically interfere with one another. Basketball and Soccer games are played on the same days and at similar times which causes the athlete to miss every other game and/or practice. 

How this affects athletes who play both Basketball and Soccer

Athletes who play both sports can be overlooked during tryouts by coaches who are solely interested in committed player's. The conflicting sport schedules doesn't afford multi-talented athlete's the opportunity to showcase their skills equally, and it hinders them from being a reliable asset to either team. The sacrificing of games and/or practices can also affect the player's chances of starting, being promoted/demoted (i.e freshman, JV, varsity), and it immensely reduces their college exposure material.

How this affects the coaches

Coaches are affected as well due to the lack of certain player availability at practices/games, it interferes with player development, it causes issues with lineup rosters, and it affects the overall success of the program when players are not present daily. 

Solutions 

1. Earlier start date for Basketball 
2. Later start date for Soccer so that overlap is minimal with basketball 
3. Switching Soccer to a Fall sport so that it runs consecutively with football
4. Last solution: switching Soccer starting date to October and basketball to January so Soccer overlap is minimal with Basketball preseason 

What is the desired objective 

To create an atmosphere that allows highschool athletes the opportunity to play more than one sport with minimal overlap. To help athletes showcase their abilities in more then one sport, minimize the stress on basketball and soccer coaches, but most importantly is to safeguard the best interests of the individual athlete.