The 2025 fall sporting events are here, and the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) has sent out a guideline for all fall sports to go by this season, starting with the Oklahoma football programs and also for the fall outdoor activities.

FOOTBALL (Mandates)

a. Preseason practice shall be limited to 2 ½ hours per session with a minimum of one hour between practice sessions. No more than 5 hours of practice per 24-hour period will be allowed. There will be no physical activity during the one-hour rest period. Any time a coach is present during football practice, the time will count toward the maximum 5 hours, with the exception of strength training. b. If a practice session is interrupted by inclement weather or heat restrictions, and it is required the session be divided for the good of the student-athlete’s welfare as long as the total practice time does not exceed 2 ½ hours. c. When multiple practices are conducted in the same day, it is required that either practice not exceed 2½ hours in length and students not participate in more than five total hours of practice activities, including walk-through sessions. Warm-up, stretching, cool down and conditioning activities are included as part of the practice time. Practices should be separated by at least one hour, where there is no physical activity between the end of the first practice and the beginning of the second practice. d. Immediately prior to any practice, coaches are required to use a smartphone APP, or other mechanism or program to get heat index, such as CoachSmart or the OSHA APP. There are also programs available on the Internet, such as Accu-Weather, or Weather.com. These programs are free and can be used on any smart-phone, tablet, or computer. A chart outlining recommendations for making concessions for extreme heat is available on the OSSAA website, Schools must develop their own form to record the heat index each practice session. e. All practices must be held under the supervision of a coach employed by the school. f. Practices must always be conducted with an open-water policy. g. Cooling stations shall be made available for the athletes (buckets of cool water, wet towels, sponges, etc.) h. Each program shall have a heat related emergency plan on hand at all times.

Guidelines for outdoor activities: a. Athletic Coaches or marching band directors should use a smart-phone APP, or other mechanism or program to get heat index, such as CoachSmart or the OSHA APP. There are also programs available on the Internet, such as AccuWeather, or Weather. com. These programs are free and can be used on any smart-phone, tablet, or computer. A chart outlining recommendations for making concessions for extreme heat is available on the OSSAA website. Schools must develop their own form to record the heat index for each practice session. b. All practices should be held under the supervision of a coach, director, or sponsor employed by the school. c. Practices should always be conducted with an open-water policy. d. Each program should have a heat related emergency plan on hand at all times. e. Preseason practice should be avoided, if possible, between the hours of 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. f. Parents and students should be educated on the importance of hydration during extreme heat conditions. g. Cooling stations should be made available when possible (buckets of cool water, wet towels, sponges, etc.) h. Equipment should be removed for conditioning.