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May 29. 2012 8:31PM
NHIAA football championships at St. Anselm on hold for a year
The plan for St. Anselm College to host NHIAA football championship games in all six divisions, starting with the 2012 finals, has been postponed for at least one year.
NHIAA executive director Pat Corbin said Tuesday that St. Anselm officials expressed logistical concerns, namely the ability to properly staff the event and provide adequate parking.
“They’ve never really managed (a high school) event of any significance like this,” said Corbin, noting the decision to postpone was made last week. “If we go there, we want to make it work and be a good experience for everyone.”
Corbin said the parties will revisit the idea of high school football on the Hilltop for the 2013 season.
In the meantime, the old playoff format is back in play. Championship games will take place at the homes of the higher seeds.
Title games for Divisions IV, V and VI will be played Saturday, Nov. 10, rather than Sunday, Nov. 11, as previously scheduled, Corbin said. Divisions I, II and III still crown champions Saturday, Nov. 17.
“We mutually agreed that this is the best thing to do. We don’t want to do anything that does not reflect positively on us or them,” Corbin said. “We want it to be a great opportunity to provide people with a couple days of high school football. But we want to make sure everyone is comfortable.”
Championship football games typically draw crowds estimated between 3,000 and 5,000 fans. Attendance totals for the large-school title games in Divisions I and II often reach the higher figure.
St. Anselm’s Grappone Stadium accommodates 4,500 spectators.
Tony Johnson, the outgoing athletics director at Nashua’s Bishop Guertin, helped forge the initial deal for 2012. Before recently accepting the head coaching position at Worcester (Mass.) Academy, he served as an assistant for Hawks head football coach Patrick Murphy.
“It’s a win-win for the fans. It’s a win-win for the players. It’s a win-win for the (St. Anselm) coaches because they get hundreds of athletes on their field,” Johnson said of the college campus serving as the host site. “Many of them don’t realize how nice the facility is.
“When you combine everything,” he added, “it’s just disappointing because it’s a natural fit for the entire state.”
Corbin and Johnson said they remain hopeful that St. Anselm and the Granite State’s governing body for interscholastic athletics will partner for the 2013 championships.
“We’ll get there. It takes time,” Corbin said. “We just want to make sure it’s right.”
NHIAA executive director Pat Corbin said Tuesday that St. Anselm officials expressed logistical concerns, namely the ability to properly staff the event and provide adequate parking.
“They’ve never really managed (a high school) event of any significance like this,” said Corbin, noting the decision to postpone was made last week. “If we go there, we want to make it work and be a good experience for everyone.”
Corbin said the parties will revisit the idea of high school football on the Hilltop for the 2013 season.
In the meantime, the old playoff format is back in play. Championship games will take place at the homes of the higher seeds.
Title games for Divisions IV, V and VI will be played Saturday, Nov. 10, rather than Sunday, Nov. 11, as previously scheduled, Corbin said. Divisions I, II and III still crown champions Saturday, Nov. 17.
“We mutually agreed that this is the best thing to do. We don’t want to do anything that does not reflect positively on us or them,” Corbin said. “We want it to be a great opportunity to provide people with a couple days of high school football. But we want to make sure everyone is comfortable.”
Championship football games typically draw crowds estimated between 3,000 and 5,000 fans. Attendance totals for the large-school title games in Divisions I and II often reach the higher figure.
St. Anselm’s Grappone Stadium accommodates 4,500 spectators.
Tony Johnson, the outgoing athletics director at Nashua’s Bishop Guertin, helped forge the initial deal for 2012. Before recently accepting the head coaching position at Worcester (Mass.) Academy, he served as an assistant for Hawks head football coach Patrick Murphy.
“It’s a win-win for the fans. It’s a win-win for the players. It’s a win-win for the (St. Anselm) coaches because they get hundreds of athletes on their field,” Johnson said of the college campus serving as the host site. “Many of them don’t realize how nice the facility is.
“When you combine everything,” he added, “it’s just disappointing because it’s a natural fit for the entire state.”
Corbin and Johnson said they remain hopeful that St. Anselm and the Granite State’s governing body for interscholastic athletics will partner for the 2013 championships.
“We’ll get there. It takes time,” Corbin said. “We just want to make sure it’s right.”
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