The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) has postponed their conference football competition to Spring of 2021, the league announced on Friday.
The move comes as a result of the ongoing novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Without question the most important part of our decision-making process was listening to our student-athletes and hearing their feelings,” stated Jim Tressel, chair of the MVFC Presidents Council and President at Youngstown State University. “What we clearly heard was that they want to play this year for a chance to participate in the FCS Playoffs. It’s great to know that they believe we are taking all the steps necessary to keep them safe in the process. All 11 MVFC teams weighed in with their positions on the options we considered, and all thoughts and concerns guided our thinking.”
The MVFC stated that they will play a full eight-game conference schedule in the Spring of 2021 with the “…expectation to culminate the season with the FCS Playoffs.”
Non-conference contests for MVFC teams are up in the air as the conference stated that those games can be played at the discretion of each institution.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference is the ninth Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conference to cancel their fall sports, joining the Ivy League, Patriot League, Mid-Eastern Athletic Association (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), Northeast Conference (NEC), Pioneer Football League (PFL), and Big Sky Conference. Some of these conferences will attempt to play in the Spring of 2021, but exact plans haven’t been announced.