American Rivers Conference announces ‘concepts’ for spring football, volleyball

CEDAR RAPIDS — The American Rivers Conference announced Wednesday plans for a spring football season.

'The concepts were approved during a virtual meeting of the conference's Presidents Council after recommendations from coaches and directors of athletics from the nine conference schools,' the release noted.

Football, as well as volleyball and men's and women's soccer were shifted to the spring because of concerns with the coronavirus pandemic.

The 'provisional plan' for football includes each team playing three conference games with 'the option to play up to five games if the school so chooses.' The other games can be against other ARC or non-conference programs. There will be no conference champion in football.

The volleyball and soccer schedules will include 'eight conference games and the option to play more conference or non-conference games at the school's discretion.' A conference champion will be declared, but there will be no conference tournaments.

'Dates and match-ups for the varsity contests for these four sports will be announced after academic calendars for spring are finalized by the nine institutions,' the release noted. 'Development of winter sports schedules is dependent in part on the NCAA's decision to conduct winter championships.'

As of now, Division III plans to go forward with those events. Division III canceled fall championships on August 5.