9/24/2026
Protecting What Makes High School Activities Different
In a changing sports landscape, there is an important question for all of us to consider: What do we want
high school sports and activities to be?
Across the country, athletics is changing rapidly. College athletics continues to evolve, and conversations
about transfers, compensation, competitive balance and the overall purpose of athletics are taking place
nationally. Those changes provide an important reminder for all of us in Utah: high school sports and
activities are different, and that distinction is worth protecting.
At the UHSAA, our responsibility begins with the students and schools we serve.
The scoreboard matters. Competition matters. Championships matter. But the purpose of education-based
athletics and activities extends far beyond wins and losses. These programs give students opportunities to
compete, perform, grow, build relationships, learn valuable life lessons and develop skills that will serve
them long after high school.
They also bring our communities together.
On any given week across Utah, students, parents, educators and community members gather for football
games, volleyball matches, cross country meets, concerts, theater productions, state championships and
countless other activities. Those shared experiences are an important part of our schools and communities.
As the sports landscape changes, high school athletics and activities must evolve as well. But through that
change, we must remain focused on what makes education-based activities unique: they exist to serve
students and to complement the educational experience.
That responsibility guides the work of the UHSAA and our member schools. The policies, eligibility
standards and competitive structures we establish are not simply rules or restrictions. They are guardrails
intended to protect students, support our schools, promote fair and equitable competition and preserve
meaningful opportunities for participation throughout Utah.
Realignment and Competitive Equity
One of the most significant processes we are working through right now is the 2027–2029 UHSAA
realignment.
Realignment impacts every part of our state and understandably generates significant interest from
schools, parents and communities. Classification and region placement affect competition, travel,
rivalries, scheduling and the overall experience of our students.
As our Board of Trustees works through the realignment process in November and December, we will
continue communicating with our member schools about what is happening, why decisions are being
considered and how the process works.
Realignment will never produce a perfect solution for every school. Utah is growing and changing, and
our schools vary greatly in enrollment, geography and circumstances. Our responsibility is to work
through our member-driven governance process and establish classifications and regions that provide the
best opportunity possible for fair and equitable competition across the state.
That process matters.
Our member schools have a voice through their regions, athletic directors, the UHSAA Executive
Committee and ultimately the Board of Trustees. We want our schools to be informed, engaged and
willing to provide feedback as we work through these important decisions together.
Protecting the Purpose
The decisions being made in sports today will influence expectations for athletics tomorrow. That makes
it increasingly important that those of us involved in high school activities are intentional about defining
and protecting their purpose.
We want Utah students to have meaningful opportunities to play, perform and compete. We want
competition to be fair. We want our schools supported. And we want education-based athletics and
activities to remain an important extension of the educational experience.
The UHSAA is fortunate to work alongside the National Federation of State High School Associations
(NFHS) and the other state associations across the country that share this responsibility. The NFHS
provides valuable resources for schools, administrators, coaches, officials, students and parents while
providing national leadership for education-based athletics and activities.
I encourage our school communities to take advantage of the information and resources available through
both the NFHS and UHSAA:
National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
https://www.nfhs.org/
Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA)
https://uhsaa.org/
Sports and activities will continue to change. As they do, our responsibility is not simply to keep up with
that change, but to remain intentional about what we are protecting.
High school activities should continue to provide students the opportunity to play, perform, compete,
belong and grow as part of their educational experience. Working together with our member schools, the
NFHS and communities throughout Utah, we can make sure those opportunities remain at the center of
what we do.
J. Ryan Bishop
Executive Director
Utah High School Activities Association
8/25/2026
Welcome to the 2026–27 school year!
There is always something special about the start of a new school year. Students are back in classrooms, teams are competing, activities are underway, and schools across Utah are once again filled with energy and excitement. On behalf of all of us at the UHSAA, I want to wish our students, coaches, advisors, administrators, officials and school communities a great year.
It has also been a busy start here at the UHSAA.
Our Executive Committee and Board of Trustees have both met this month, working through a number of important topics that will impact our member schools.
One of the biggest discussions has been realignment for 2027–29. The Board of Trustees approved updated Formats and Procedures that will use enrollment, socioeconomic status and competitive performance as factors in classification placement. There is still a great deal of work ahead, and we are committed to communicating with our schools throughout the process as we move toward final classifications and regions in December.
The Executive Committee also addressed several items for the year ahead, including updates to tournament formats, the new reporting process for the 20-hour rule, digital credentials for officials, and the required double first base in baseball beginning in 2027.
Behind the scenes, our UHSAA staff has been hard at work preparing for another year of championships and activities, supporting member schools, recruiting and training officials, expanding Unified Sports, strengthening sportsmanship initiatives, updating health and safety resources, and finding new ways to better communicate the great things happening in Utah’s schools.
One of my priorities as Executive Director is to listen, learn and stay connected to our schools. That includes getting out into our communities, meeting with administrators, attending events and making sure the UHSAA continues to be a resource and partner for our member schools.
There is a lot happening, and this is only the beginning. I look forward to sharing a short update with you each week about what is happening at the UHSAA, what is ahead, and most importantly, highlighting the incredible students, educators, coaches, advisors, officials and administrators who make high school activities in Utah so special.
Here’s to a great 2026–27 school year!
UHSAA Announces Formats & Procedures for 2027-2029 Alignment of Schools
August 21, 2026 The Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA)…
8/14/2026
As I begin my time as Executive Director of the UHSAA, I want to start by saying how grateful I am for the opportunity to serve the students, schools and communities across the state of Utah.
I’ve spent much of my career around high school activities as a coach, educator and administrator, and I’ve seen firsthand the impact they can have on young people. Stepping into this role, my priority is simple: listen, learn and be a voice for our schools.
I truly believe high school activities are the purest form of competition on the planet. At the heart of it, it’s still about the love of the game, representing your school and community, and creating experiences that stay with students for a lifetime.
Whether it’s a Friday night football game with an entire community in the stands or a Tuesday afternoon tennis match, those moments matter to the students competing. Every sport. Every activity. Every school.
That’s why I’m excited about our extended partnership with KSL Sports and the opportunity to showcase more of our incredible students and schools across Utah. It gives parents, grandparents, relatives, friends and fans, wherever they may be, more ways to celebrate what these students are accomplishing.
Utah is unique, and so are the needs of our schools. From the Wasatch Front to rural Utah, and across our public, private and charter schools, I want to make sure we’re listening to voices from every corner of our state.
There’s something incredibly special about high school activities in Utah. I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve, and I’m excited to get to work.