The Pioneer Football League’s (PFL) Presidents Council has announced that the league’s schools will not conduct conference competition in fall 2020. The PFL membership is spread from coast-to-coast and throughout the Midwest, which creates challenges related to team travel, as well as difficulties meeting applicable state, local and institutional health requirements and COVID-19 mitigation strategies.

Recognizing competition is an integral part of the student-athlete’s educational experience, the PFL is committed to exploring meaningful opportunities and experiences for football student-athletes this academic year, if this can be done reasonably and safely. 

“Eliminating competitive opportunities is a very difficult decision to have to make, especially knowing the effort and commitment that our student-athletes put into their sport,” Valparaiso Director of Athletics Mark LaBarbera said. “One of our core values is student well-being, so the highest priority in the decision-making process needs to be the health and safety of the student-athletes, coaches and staff members involved in our programs. We remain committed to making every effort to provide our football student-athletes with the opportunity to practice and condition in a safe and responsible manner during the fall months. In addition, we are working diligently to find competitive opportunities for our football program this academic year. I would like to thank all of our student-athletes for their flexibility and patience as we continue to navigate these unprecedented times together.”