During their annual spring meetings in Gaylord on Monday and Tuesday, the Michigan High School Athletic Association approved the sponsorships of two new sports across the state.

Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, boys volleyball and girls field hockey will be added as MHSAA sponsored tournament sports. The boys volleyball season will take place during the spring while girls field hockey will played in the fall. This will be the first MHSAA additions to the sponsored sports lineup since 2004.

Other notable rule and scheduled changes were also implemented, including:

• Strengthened suspensions for inappropriate behavior towards officials
• Adding a team championship for girls wrestling
• Winter sports schedules concluding before school's spring break period
• Basketball and soccer district tournament seeding based on Michigan Power Ratings
• Classification adjustments in regard to 8-player and 11-player football teams
• Automatic state qualification standards for track and field
• Penalty amendments for ineligible weight classifications in wrestling
• Instituting a first half running clock for soccer when 'mercy rule' is reached
• Electronic baseball pitch count submissions after contests
• Football pre-season scrimmages to be only conducted after the Wednesday of the second week of practice and after the team has practiced on seven days

According to their press release, the association also approved it’s 14.8 million-dollar budget for the upcoming school year.

For more details and information, visit https://www.mhsaa.com/topics/mhsaa-news/rep-council-approves-sponsorship-new-sports-adjusts-winter-schedule-spring.