Illinois High School Association in contract talks with U of I and ISU for state final contract extensions

Posted on March 19, 2024
The previous three-year contracts were short-term deals to fit format changes. (Photo courtesy: Blake Haas/WJBC)

By Blake Haas

CENTRAL ILLINOIS—State finals are in the books for high school boys’ and girls’ basketball around the state, which means the end of a contract with host sites in Champaign and Bloomington-Normal.

However, Illinois High School Association leaders plan on exploring new contracts with the University of Illinois State Farm Center and Illinois State University’s CEFCU Arena.

According to IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson, the Board is amidst contract negotiations with the host sites.

“That would be our choice (to choose the previous sites) to renew the contracts. The timeline of that is still to be determined. But we’re negotiating contract language exchange of information and trying to do a renewal.

At this point, we are in conversations to renew the contracts, and the conversations are going very well. So, I believe within the next couple of months, we will be able to publicize when our Board does reach an agreement to sign extensions on the current existing contract.”

The previous three-year contracts were short-term deals to fit format changes.

But now, Anderson reports, the Board wants to explore five-year contract extensions with both Universities.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].

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