Could district football come to Illinois?

Nov. 28—The possibility of high school football in Illinois going to a district format is once again up for a vote.

The IHSA announced on Tuesday morning it has advanced 14 proposals through its legislative commission, with one of those proposals geared around district football.

This isn't the first time the idea — which would form eight districts in each of the eight classes, with eight schools in each district — has come about. The district football model was set to go into effect for the 2021 season after IHSA member schools voted it through in 2018, only for schools to rescind the vote in 2019.

Mahomet-Seymour athletic director Matt Hensley is the author of this latest district proposal, with the Apollo Conference, the Big 12 Conference, the DuPage Valley Conference and the Interstate 8 Conference also on board the proposal.

Under the current proposal, district games would take place from Week 3 through Week 9 of the regular season, with the top four schools in each district qualifying for the IHSA playoffs. Schools would be allowed to play two non-district games each season, with schedules set by the IHSA.

If passed, the proposal would go into effect for the 2024 season.

Voting on the proposal starts Dec. 4 and runs through Dec. 18, with results set to be announced on Dec. 19. A simple majority vote of IHSA member schools will pass the proposal and have it go into effect on July 1.