WIAA Board Approves Football Qualifying & Seeding Changes and Other Fall Sports Changes

STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control approved recommendations by the fall coaches’ advisory committees, including a plan that replaces the 11-player and 8-player football playoff qualifying and seeding system, at its February meeting today.

The Board voted to support the plan created by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association at the recommendation of the Football Coaches Advisory Committee, reflecting a shared commitment to improving the football playoff selection and seeding process. 

Prior to the 2025 season, teams will be divided equally in seven divisions based on enrollment and application of the performance factor for 11-player football programs. Teams will qualify and be seeded for 11-player and 8-player football according to a ranking point system. Programs earn points for each win based on the division of their opponents (Tier 1) of all games. In addition, teams will be rewarded points for each Tier 1 victory of their defeated opponents for all games played (Tier 2). The sum of each tier is divided by the total number of games played. The total points calculated for each tier is added to determine a team’s total point value for ranking within its own division. 

The four teams with the highest total points in each division are designated the top seed in the four groupings. Subsequent seeded teams will be added to the groupings in each division based on the nearest expected travel to higher-seeded teams. A detailed summary of the playoff qualification and seeding plan is available on the WIAA website.

“We commend the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association leadership in conjunction with the WIAA Football Coaches Advisory Committee on their communications with our staff and the football coaches across the state on this redesigned qualification and seeding process,” WIAA Executive Director Stephanie Hauser said. “They provided tutorials and welcomed feedback from coaches and member schools.

“This process is a reflection of WIAA’s mission to be responsive to its membership and make key decisions about programs, rules, and eligibility with transparency among all stakeholders,” she continued “The WIAA Board of Control and WIAA staff support this new qualification and seeding process and will continue working collaboratively to enhance its procedures, ensuring greater efficiency and the best service possible for its member schools.”

Another football coaches’ recommendation receiving Board approval expands the 8-player football tournament bracket to 32 teams in 2025. The 8-player season will begin the same week as 11-player football to accommodate for the added round of the playoffs.  

Two recommendations by the volleyball coaches were approved impacting the Tournament Procedures, effective in 2025. The highest seeded team will be considered the home team during the Tournament Series. At pre-determined sites when equally seeded teams are playing, the first school alphabetically will be considered the home team, unless a team is playing on their own court, which will constitute the host being declared the home team.

In addition, each participating team will be permitted a maximum of 18 players in uniform for each game of the Tournament Series, an increase from 15. The change does not impact the total of 22 team personnel permitted on the bench.

The sport of tennis had seven coaches’ recommendations approved. Four of those address seeding protocol at the subsectional level. The actions add another criterion, establishes clarity and defines a prescribed criteria order for the seeding process. Following head-to-head criteria, results and scores against common opponents will be applied, followed by results versus indirect opponents. In situations when two or more players are tied after applying the criteria, a random draw will now determine the respective seeds.

Another tennis Tournament Procedure ratified by the Board revises language to state a singles player or doubles team in Division 1 must play a minimum of six matches at any flight during the regular season to be entered in the subsectional tournament at Flights 1, 2 and 3 only. Singles and doubles teams in Division 2 must play a minimum of five matches at any flight during the regular season to be entered in the subsectional tournament at Flights 1, 2 and 3 only.

Other Board decisions impacting tennis included prohibiting smart watches or other communication devices on the court, unless approval is provided for medical purposes, and adjusting the tournament schedule in years Memorial Day lands on the Monday of subsectionals, which now may be scheduled that week on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Two fall sports had one coaches’ recommendation approved by the Board. Permitted headgear language will be added in the cross country regulations consistent with the track & field regulations. In golf, schools will now be permitted to conduct a practice round at the regional tournament site during the regular season on nonschool days. 

Two officials advisory committee recommendations were approved. Beginning in 2025-26, yellow cards in girls lacrosse will no longer be reported to the WIAA office, and swimming & diving officials will allow black pants to be worn as a uniform option.

Five fast-tracked conference realignment plans were ratified by the Board for implementation in 2025-26. Lourdes Academy, will be moved from independent status into the Eastern Wisconsin for girls tennis, and Grantsburg will move into the Heart O’ North Conference after participating as an independent. Martin Luther and St. Augustine Prep will both transition from independent status to the Woodland Conference in boys volleyball, and a proposal by Tomah was approved to merge the Mississippi Valley and Coulee Conferences to form a new boys Western Wisconsin Hockey Conference.

Other action by the Board included approvals of the procedural monthly general fund financial statements, fall sports financial statements, the deferred liability fund statement and general fund payments.

Additional topics of discussion included staff reports on prospective Constitutional amendments, the status of the 2024-25 football-only and lacrosse conference realignment process, upcoming Advisory Council and Board of Control elections, progress on development of a foundation, and continued efforts to recruit and retain licensed officials. Other topics of discussion included a review of competitive balance performance factor classification, plans for the 2025 Annual Meeting in April, status of the 2025 Scholar Athlete program in May, updates on the Student-Athlete Leadership Team and recognition of the effort and contributions of Tom Shafranski, who is retiring from the executive staff on Feb. 7.

The Board observed a presentation by the Calendar and Contact Committee, and it received liaison reports from Dan Rossmiller of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, Paul Manriquez of the Department of Public Instruction, and Brittany Spencer Grant of the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association. 

The WIAA, as defined by its Constitution, is a voluntary, unincorporated, and nonprofit organization. The membership oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 513 senior high schools and 36 junior high/middle level schools in its membership.