COVINGTON, Ga. — If it seems like the 2022 high school soccer season has started a few weeks earlier than in years past, that is because it has. 

Earlier this year, the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) adopted a revision causing the start date of this year’s schedule to be moved up a week. As a result, GHSA teams could start practicing as early as Jan. 3 whereas last season was Jan. 11. 

Last year’s regular season schedule began on Feb. 1 compared to this year’s start on Jan. 24. 

Local coaches have voiced their concerns about the GHSA’s decision to change the 2022 season and the effects it has already had on their teams this year. 

The first noticeable effect that coaches have highlighted has been the earlier practice start time. 

Jan. 3 fell on the first Monday of the new calendar and a day before Newton County School System and Social Circle city schools students had to report for the second semester. 

Since that was the case, each team had to hit the ground running with their conditioning and game-planning for the season ahead. 

In that regard, Social Circle girls soccer head coach, Heather Richardson definitively disagreed with the move. 

“We started right after Christmas break,” Richardson said. “When I first started coaching, we didn’t usually start until the Tuesday after Martin Luther King Day. So, now we’re three weeks sooner than that. I do wish it would go back at least two weeks if not three. ” 

Another area that the GHSA’s decision that has altered how coaches approached 2022 has been which players would be available for their team at the beginning of the season. 

Each coach labeled the concern as an “overlap.” 

In their remarks, the coaches recognized that the overlap was already present, but more so now with the GHSA’s alteration. 

Head girls soccer coach Joel Singleton of Eastside highlighted that a few of last year’s main contributors will be absent for the first part of the season due to playing other sports. 

“For me, I’ve got a couple of girls in the basketball program that won’t be with us until February,” Singleton said. “And now that makes it one more week of games that they’re going to have to miss.”

As a matter of fact, Social Circle head boys soccer coach James Corasaniti said that there are a few players from last year’s team that aren’t even coming out as a result of the overlap. 

“We’ve got some wrestlers now that we really need on the team,” Corasaniti said. “But they won’t come out because by the time they do, the season will be halfway over.” 

Richardson had the same issue with her team, too. 

The third common issue mentioned by local coaches has been the colder weather conditions as a result of the season moving up. 

Eastside boys soccer coach, Champ Young highlighted that, in addition to overlap, the conditioning aspect is made more challenging in early January. 

“For the players, if they play a winter sport, they are missing one-third of their season because of the massive overlap,” Young said. “Couple that with the elements and attempting to get into game shape in the coldest time of the year.” 

In fact, the Social Circle teams had to play their preseason scrimmage against Southwest Dekalb while snow fell on Jan. 21. 

All four coaches lamented that they feel like it’s just too cold for players to perform in those conditions. 

The coaches are not alone in all of their concerns. 

A petition was signed by close to 400 coaches and sent to GHSA in disagreement with the start change. But the GHSA stood by its decision announced in May 2022 in spite of the opposition. 

Now, being on the other side of the preseason preparations with the season being in full swing, the coaches have recognized that they made the best out of the situations. 

But that doesn’t mean they were blind to the challenges this one slight change by the GHSA caused for the 2022 season. 

“It’s made things very difficult for us as coaches in many facets of the game,” Young said.