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Instructions to Game Directors for Football Play-Off Series

1. The principal of the host school shall be the game director. If facilities other than those of the host school are to be used, the game director must be approved by the TSSAA state office. It shall be the responsibility of the game director to handle all financial arrangements for the game and to make a financial report to the state office and participating teams.

   The host school is to hold the games in stadiums with adequate facilities and large enough to handle the crowds.

   Adequate facilities include but are not limited to:

   1. Separate dressing rooms for both home and visiting teams with access to restrooms and shower facilities.
   2. Separate dressing areas for officials with access to restrooms and shower facilities.
   3. A restraining fence around the field or a stadium configuration that allows for control of spectator access to playing area.

   If the host school does feel that its facilities are not acceptable for a football play-off game, then it shall be the responsibility of the host school to secure adequate facilities. If additional facilities are secured, then the visiting school and TSSAA must be notified by noon on Saturday preceding that week's play-off game.

2. If another game director is named, the host principal should give the game director's instructions and other related material to the game director.

3. Make necessary arrangements for press and radio.

1. Permission to telecast live any playoff game must be approved by the TSSAA Board of Control. Permission to tape a playoff game for replay the next day may be granted by the game director provided the game director has space to accommodate the TV or cable station. Before taping will be allowed, the station must pay the game director a fee of $200 which will be considered as part of the game receipts.

2. Permission to broadcast must be secured from the game director.

1. In case more stations request permission to broadcast than can be accommodated, the two towns involved in the playoff game shall be given first consideration. Stations will then be given permission to broadcast in the order requests were received.

3. Press passes must be secured through the game director.

1. The daily newspapers covering the playoff game will be allowed passes for working press and photographers.

2. Only the weekly newspapers from the areas representing the towns of the participating teams will be allowed press passes. This number is limited to two.

4. Arrange for P.A. announcer.

5. Make arrangements for concessions. Profits from the concessions will go to the host school or to those appointed by host school to handle concessions.

6. Arrange to have an ambulance available for all emergencies. Each team will provide its own doctor and/or trainer.

7. Arrange for an adequate number of law enforcement officers and guards.

8. Secure ticket sellers and ticket takers.

9. Assign dressing rooms for teams and game officials. (TSSAA shall appoint the game officials, chain crews, and electric clock operators.)

10. Designate seating sections for each school. Ushers will not be needed since all tickets are general admission.

11. Make arrangements for the National Anthem before the game and approve half time activities by participating schools band. Each band is limited to half of half time. This includes marching on and off the field.

12. Appoint a program sales director. The programs will be supplied by TSSAA and will be sold at $3 each. The program sales director will employ sellers. TSSAA will allow 50 cents for each program sold. The remaining $2.50 will be turned over to the game director along with a financial report by the program sales director.

13. All games will begin at 7:00 p.m., local time. In the event of bad weather, the game director may postpone the game. It must be played the next day (Saturday). The make-up game will also be, at 7:00 p.m. unless both schools mutually agree to a different time.

14. Arrange for parking places for participating teams, band buses, and game officials.

15. Tickets and Passes

1. TSSAA will furnish tickets and press passes. (All unsold tickets and passes must be returned to TSSAA.)

2. A supply of tickets is being forwarded to the principal of each host school from Weldon, Williams and Lick, Inc., ticket company from Fort Smith, Arkansas, by Federal Express or UPS. These tickets will reach the host school probably on Monday of the week of the playoff game, but no later than Tuesday noon of that week. These tickets are priced at $7 for adults and students. A visiting school may contact the host school in regard to securing advance tickets to sell at the visiting school. If a visiting school does secure tickets from the host school, it will be the responsibility of the visiting school principal to turn over all ticket money and all unsold tickets to the host school principal prior to the start of the playoff game.

   The host school may sell reserved seat tickets on the home side to people from the host school who have purchased season tickets for regular-season contests. This would apply to schools where there is seating on both sides with a section of the home side sold to season ticket holders. The tickets would be sold for $7.00 and would be sold through Wednesday or Thursday prior to the game. It would be the responsibility of the game administration to administer the reserved seat section and make certain that there is some means of identifying season ticket holders.

   There are no discounted pre-sale tickets.

   The 2007-08 Championship Event Card, pictured below, given to each member school and superintendent is the only acceptable card for entry to all rounds of the football playoff series including first round, second round, quarterfinals, semifinals, Division II BlueCross Bowl, and Division I BlueCross Bowl. This card admits only one person per card.

   

3. Game director should arrange for advance sale of tickets.

4. Band members in uniform and cheerleaders (limit of 12) in uniform will be admitted.

5. TSSAA identification cards, officials registration cards, press cards, college coaching, and scouting cards will not be accepted as passes.

6. Each participating school is allowed 30 complimentary tickets to their game. The game director is being instructed to contact the principal of the visiting school to determine if

1. the visiting school is close enough that they may pick up 30 tickets, or

2. if the visiting school should provide a pass list with 30 names on it to accommodate their 30 people. Twenty-five of these tickets are for use by school officials, principals, teachers, etc. Four of these tickets are for use by band directors and chaperons, and one ticket is for use by the cheerleading coach/sponsor. Cheerleaders (limit 12) in uniform will be admitted free.

7. The game director shall indicate to TSSAA when the game director returns the unsold tickets, if 30 tickets were taken from the sell tickets for use by the home school as complimentary tickets or a pass list was used. This same procedure will be used to notify TSSAA if 30 tickets were taken from the game tickets or if a pass list was used from the visiting school.

8. Players will be admitted upon the identification of the coach.

9. Gates must be manned until the game is over. Proper tickets or press passes must be used until the game is completed.

16. Only statisticians, members of the press, and cheerleaders will be permitted outside the team box along the sidelines. (Coaches will be responsible for all individuals inside his team box.)

17. The host team in each pairing will wear the dark colored jerseys. The host team shall be designated as the home team for the scoreboard and toss of the coin. (This applies regardless of site of the game.)

18. A team may begin its pre-game warm-up no earlier than 5:30 p.m., local time. There shall be no practice at the game site. (Exception to this would be if a team uses the game site as its regular practice field.)

19. The TSSAA has entered into a contract with Murphy Fair Publications for the exclusive production of all TSSAA Football Playoff series programs in all rounds of the football playoff series leading up to the state championship games.  No other programs may be produced or sold at the playoff games.  Programs will be sent by UPS unless you are notified differently.

20. In Division I, first and second place plaques will be shipped directly to the regional regular season winner and runner-up. A team that finishes third or fourth place in regular season and regional competition may purchase a third or fourth place plaque. The principal of teams that finish third or fourth during regular season competition may contact A & M Products directly at (815) 875-2667.

    In Division I and Division II, additional awards will be presented to all semifinal teams. The semifinal losers will receive their plaque the week following the semifinal games. The semifinal winners will receive either a state championship or state runner-up trophy.

21. Assign a place for the school movie photographer, should either, or both of the teams wish to film or tape the game. No schools may tape or film a practice or game involving two other teams.

22. Please obtain the football playoff financial report (Division I, Division II, Sample). The formula for distribution of gross gate receipts is as follows:

    25% of gross to host school, 25% of gross to visiting school; and 50% of gross to TSSAA

    The host school will be responsible for on site expenses out of their 25% and the visiting team will be responsible for traveling expenses out of their 25%. TSSAA will be responsible for game officials, chain crews, tickets, awards, and catastrophic insurance for all schools out of their 50%.

    All checks for district, regional, and sectional tournaments and playoffs must be distributed within 10 business days of the completion of the tournament or game. Failure to do so will result in a $100.00 late fee to be paid to TSSAA and is to be used in the A.F. Bridges sportsmanship program to go to schools or students receiving awards. Failure to distribute funds within 20 business days will result in an additional $200 late fee (total $300.00). Failure to distribute funds within 40 business days will result in an additional $200.00 late fee (total $500.00). The school may not host any tournament or playoff until the principal or athletic director appears before the Board of Control to explain their reasons for not distributing the checks within the required time frame. The Board would then determine whether the school can host tournaments or playoffs in the future.

23. Game officials and chain crews for each round of the play-offs will be assigned by the state office. The referee of first round, second round, quarter-final and semi-final rounds will contact the host school and confirm the assignment.