A new proposal passed this week could open the floodgates to more Friday night high school football TV broadcasts.
On Monday, the University Interscholastic League (UIL) legislative council approved an amendment allowing live TV broadcasts of regular-season Friday night football games. Both schools must agree to the broadcast, and the ruling would take effect beginning Aug. 1, 2027.
The amendment is a first step toward final approval, as Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath would still need to sign off to make it official.
Currently, schools can stream Friday night games, but this would allow live television broadcasts with the involved schools' consent. UIL has long held a position preventing schools from televising Friday night football games.
Why Texas coaches want high school games on TV
The proposed amendment was made by Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) Executive Director Joe Martin and its board of directors.
"UIL asked us to bring back a position on Friday night linear TV that's been banned in this state for multiple decades," Martin said at the UIL legislative council meeting on Sunday. "The reason it was banned is because we wanted people to attend our home games. We wanted to protect Friday night lights. We wanted people in the stands."
Martin said the THSCA board voted unanimously to lift the ban to keep up with exposure for schools and teams amid ongoing competition for eyeballs from college football. The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) makes its high school football games available for live streaming and on demand through its own network, TAPPS TV, and the NFHS Network. Moreover, many Texas colleges routinely play Friday night games on networks like ESPN, FOX Sports and CBS Sports.
"Our coaches believe that we need to promote Texas high school football as many places as we possibly can, whether it's on linear TV or it's live streaming," Martin said. "To be able to protect Friday night lights and continue to promote the great things that we have in this state with Texas high school football."
Even if Morath signs off on it, the amendment wouldn't require schools to televise games, but it would create a pathway for a broadcaster to televise their games. Representatives from the Texas Association of Broadcasters and the Texas High School Athletic Directors Association (THSADA) also advocated for the amendment at the council meeting.
"We believe these recommendations serve the best interest of coaches and student athletes, and we appreciate THSCA's continued leadership in our athletic activities," said THSADA executive director Rusty Dowling. "I had no idea what linear TV was back in June, but I have since learned about it and support that initiative
For decades, coaches and administrators worried that televised games would keep fans away. Now, those same leaders are betting that putting more games on a linear broadcast can bring more attention to the sport-while schools retain the choice of whether to participate.
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This article originally published at Texas' ban on high school football broadcasting on TV may finally end.