Winning to the coaches means implementing a playoff system on a two-year pilot basis that all agreed would be an improvement over the proposal that was voted down, 190-114, in March 2010.
Like that proposal, this one would create a state championship in six divisions with title games played at Gillette Stadium. Teams would play a seven-game regular season. Thanksgiving wouldn’t be affected. The system would increase participation in the postseason and bring football more in line with other MIAA sports.
But the differences are significant.
■Leagues remain intact. The old proposal eliminated the league structure and schools were grouped by division.
■Leagues will determine their own schedules and champions. Each league would get a minimum of two playoff berths. There would be wild cards so leagues could have three schools in the postseason.
■Committees’ role would be minimized. The old proposal turned regular-season scheduling over to a committee, an unpopular concept to many schools. The new proposal uses a committee to schedule games only for teams that don’t qualify for the playoffs.
■Travel would be limited. The previous proposal had committees sending teams across Eastern Mass. - a significant increase in travel costs. The new proposal shouldn’t affect costs.
After the Power-Point presentation, the committee began the process of getting something before the Tournament Management Committee at its March 19 meeting.
Some members, such as Burlington athletic director Ed Gillis, objected to voting for the proposal before sharing it with other ADs. But with the next Football Committee meeting not scheduled until May 15, the committee had a problem.
The solution, approved by a 19-0 vote, was to schedule an additional meeting March 12 to give Football Committee members time to talk to schools in their districts. They would then come to the March 12 meeting ready to vote.
