UIL council backs first-round playoff home games, a phased-in basketball shot clock and a girls flag football pilot

High school teams across Texas could see several changes to the way their seasons work after the University Interscholastic League's Legislative Council wrapped up a two-day meeting on Monday.

The council voted on a series of proposed rule changes. None of the changes it passed takes effect until the state's commissioner of education signs off, the UIL said in its announcement.

Home field in the first round

Starting with the 2027-28 school year, the council approved home field advantage for first-round playoff games in every conference and every team sport. The UIL's summary did not spell out how the home team would be chosen.

A shot clock, one tier at a time

The council adopted a 35-second shot clock for boys and girls varsity basketball, to be phased in by school size:

Conferences 5A and 6A: no earlier than 2028-29
Conferences 3A and 4A: no earlier than 2030-31
Conferences 1A and 2A: no earlier than 2032-33

The UIL said it will watch each stage to see whether schools can adopt the clock on that schedule, and the timeline may change.

Girls flag football

The council endorsed girls flag football in concept, as a pilot program limited to no more than two classifications and starting no sooner than 2028-29. The UIL said it would gather more information on rules and guidelines before the council takes the pilot up again at later meetings.

Other changes

Several smaller changes also passed:

The Conference 4A girls cross country race will grow to 5,000 meters starting in 2028-29.
Junior high cross country meets may start in the morning.
Schools in Conferences 1A and 2A will be allowed to play in Conference 4A team tennis starting next school year. Conference 3A schools already can.
Schools may agree to allow linear broadcasts of regular-season Friday night football games when both sides consent.

The UIL has posted the full packet of rule changes from the meeting on its website.

Sources

uiltexas.org

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