The Division II Football Issues Project Team spent much of its final meeting April 13 focused on spring and preseason workouts.

The project team was established in 2002 to conduct a coordinated analysis of Division II football and to recommend any necessary changes. Over the last year, it has examined access to the Division II Football Championship, health and safety issues, selection and scheduling, and promotion.

The project team developed legislation designed to enhance safety in preseason workouts that was approved at the 2003 Convention. The rest of its legislative package will be considered at the 2004 Convention.

Ironically, a principal decision at the project team's final meeting involved legislation that the group developed earlier but no longer recommends. After considering a letter from the American Football Coaches Association and after some debate, the project team recommended that the Division II Presidents Council not sponsor legislation to modify the spring practice schedule.

Football coaches were concerned that the proposed spring-practice changes could place too many restrictions on coaches and deprive them of the flexibility they need to deal with changing circumstances such as weather and injuries.

The project team also noted that injuries in spring practice have diminished since greater restrictions were put in place in 1998. Rather than moving forward with changes that would mirror the modifications to preseason practices that were approved at the January Convention, the project team instead recommended that the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports evaluate spring and preseason injuries over a two- or three-year period and recommend any necessary adjustments after that time.

The Division II Management Council, which met the next day, supported the recommendation not to make changes in spring football.

The project team also reviewed how practice "walk-throughs" are to be regarded as part of the new preseason practice structure. After extensive discussion, the project team recommended that walk-throughs be permitted under the following conditions:

They should not take place during the five-day acclimatization period.

They can take place only on days when single practices occur.

They must take place at least three hours before or at least three hours after the practice session.

No equipment may be worn.

The walk-through may not exceed one hour.

Only one walk-through should be permitted per day.

The new policy likely will be implemented either through an interpretation or as noncontroversial legislation this summer.

The project team also discussed the waivers for football practice start dates. The group suggested that the Administrative Review Subcommittee be authorized to grant a waiver to the first permissible practice date for reasons that involve health and safety or a competitive advantage (for instance, an opening game against a Division I-AA opponent that starts practice earlier).

Earned-access policy

The project team also clarified recommendations regarding the earned-access policy that will take effect when the football bracket expands to 24 teams in 2004. The project team recommended that the Division II Football Committee should choose the higher-rated team as the "earned-access representative" when more than one team from a conference is rated among the top 10 in a region (even if the lower-rated team is the conference champion). Similarly, if a conference champion is not rated in the regional top 10 but the conference's second-place team is, the automatic berth would go to the second-place team.

The project team also recommended that the date of the Division II Football Championship title game be determined by working forward from the first permissible date of competition. The date will be 16 weeks from that date -- 11 weeks of regular-season competition plus five weeks of playoffs. If adopted, the policy will mean that the Division II championship occasionally will conflict with the Division I-AA or III title game. While Division II often has benefited from being the only televised game in its time slot, ESPN has indicated that there may be promotional advantages in conducting the three football championships on a common weekend.

In another action, the project team recommended that seven-official crews be used for postseason competition in Division II football.

The proposals regarding earned access, the timing of the championship and officiating will be considered at the June meeting of the Division II Championships Committee.

Preseason practice dates clarified

Division II football coaches are eager to reach the starting gate for next season. But after January's changes to preseason football practice, they need to make certain they reach the starting gate together.

The legislation approved in January states that the first practice may take place three weeks before the first permissible playing date. Since the first permissible date this year is August 28, that means the first permissible practice date is August 7.

So, when can Division II football student-athletes arrive on campus?

The answer to that is that they may check in the evening of August 5.

On August 6, the institution may provide equipment, take team pictures and conduct medical examinations. However, no physical testing or conditioning may occur on that date.