(NEWPORT, Ky). — The Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Board of Control convened for its first regularly scheduled meeting of the 2026-27 academic year Thursday and Friday, tackling a slate of carryover business including a vote to discontinue the state field hockey championship and continued scrutiny of transfer and recruiting rules.
The two-day session opened with an orientation for new and returning board members before moving into a full work session Thursday afternoon and a full board meeting Friday. Staff and board members welcomed two new members: Troy Johnson of Fern Creek High School and Randy Borchers of the Kenton County school district.
“The first meeting each year offers a great opportunity for our new board members to become familiar with the process of these meetings and with our staff members,” Commissioner Julian Tackett said. “The first meeting is always one of our longer ones as we try to set the tone for the coming year, get ready for proposals to be presented to our member schools in the annual meeting, revisions to other regulations that guide operations, and review the focus points on the meetings for the rest of the year.”
Field Hockey Championship Discontinued
The board voted 10-6, with one abstention and one member absent, to discontinue the state field hockey championship following the 2026-27 tournament. KHSAA rules require any sanctioned championship to maintain participation from at least 10% of member schools. Despite ongoing efforts to grow the sport, field hockey participation has held at 19 schools, or slightly less than 7% of membership.
Bylaw Review Continues
The board continued its ongoing review of bylaws governing transfers and recruiting restrictions, an issue Tackett and the KHSAA have identified as a growing concern among state athletic associations nationwide. Officials said pressure in many states to loosen transfer rules must be balanced against tighter restrictions on recruiting and undue influence.
KHSAA staff will finalize proposals addressing member concerns tied to Bylaw 6 and Bylaw 16. Those proposals go before the board at a virtual meeting in August before heading to the full membership for a vote at the KHSAA Annual Meeting, set for Sept. 17 in Lexington.
Track and Field Alignment Approved
The board approved the 2026 cross country and track and field regional alignment with two changes from the original draft: Grayson County will move to Region 2 in Class 3A, and Fern Creek will move to Region 3 in Class 3A.
Other Board Actions
- The board received an update on the KHSAA’s new scoreboard platform, developed in partnership with ArbiterSports. The mobile-friendly site, khsaascoreboard.org, is expected to go public in the near future.
- As required under state regulation 702 KAR 7:065, the board completed its annual evaluation of Commissioner Tackett, rating his performance favorably. The Executive Committee will finalize a continued employment agreement.
- The board approved a four-year contract for General Counsel Chad Collins, to be executed by the Executive Committee.
- The board reviewed and approved draft policy revisions covering sports sponsorship requirements, new member school candidacy provisions, and alignment and realignment procedures.
- Previously proposed amendments to Bylaw 11 and Bylaw 22 were approved for submission to the membership.
