The football committee of the Maine Principals’ Association is studying the feasibility of expanding high school football in the state from three to four classes, perhaps as soon as next year.

According to a memo sent Monday by the committee to the state’s high school principals, athletic administrators and football coaches, the Maine High School Football Coaches’ Association has been working with the football committee to develop a four-class proposal based on competitive factors as well as in conjunction with an effort to extend the preseason conditioning program for the sport from two to three weeks.

This year, for the first time, the first week of preseason football practices were conducted under guidelines that regulated the amount of contact in an effort to promote enhanced conditioning. As the next step in that effort, the MPA’s football and sports medicine committees believe the preseason for football now needs to be extended by a week “to provide for the health and safety of our younger athletes” by following an example set by the National Football League, the NCAA and college leagues

A similar proposal to lengthen high school football’s preseason nationwide is expected to be introduced to the National Federation of State High School Associations by that group’s sports medicine committee next spring.

“Getting that extra week of preseason would be one of the major reasons for doing this,” said Larry LaBrie, MPA assistant director.

Moving to a four-class format with an eight-game regular season followed by playoffs in all classes leading to the state championship games would provide an additional week for preseason practices within the current time frame allowed for football each year.

In the past, the MPA’s Interscholastic Management Committee has not been willing to extend the season on either end, according to the memo, because starting the preseason would shorten the summer too much and extending the season later into November might leave northernmost schools playing in snow.

Other reasons for the four-class proposal, according to the memo, are the following:

. Eastern Maine Class A schools, under the current three-class format, have only won one state championship in the past 19 years – or since there last was a four-class format in 1986.

. Many current Class A teams would be shifted to Class B with a more competitive format.

. Because of the additional class, four more schools would participate in playoffs and two additional teams would have the opportunity to play for a state title.

. Maine is one of three states nationally offering the fewest number of state championships for football (three).

Currently there are 67 teams statewide that field varsity football teams, 27 in Class A, 22 in Class B and 18 in Class C.

In addition, there are developmental programs statewide that are considering joining the varsity ranks as soon as next year, such as Nokomis of Newport and Yarmouth, as well as up to nine other school- or community-based programs in varying stages of development that might seek varsity status in the coming years.

Provided with the memo was a preliminary classification scenario by enrollment that includes Nokomis and Yarmouth and has 18 schools in Classes A and B, 19 schools in Class C and 14 schools in Class D for a total of 69 schools.

“Any school would still have the ability to apply up,” said LaBrie, “so the list as it is almost meaningless except for the fact that you have to start somewhere.”

And that’s largely what the memo and list are about, LaBrie said, creating a baseline for discussion.

The MPA football committee and the state’s coaches’ association is seeing input from principals and athletic administrators of schools by Oct. 17, so the committee can discuss the feedback at its next meeting.

The 2007-08 school year marks a reclassification year for all high school sports in the state, LaBrie said, and no final vote on any changes to fall sports including football would be taken before the MPA holds its spring 2007 general membership meeting.

The MPA’s classification committee held its first meeting Sept. 11, but delayed action on setting football classification enrollment numbers to allow input from schools and leagues.

LaBrie said he already had gotten feedback from a handful of schools as of Tuesday afternoon, and received mixed responses.

“It’s a classification year, and this is a way to get the conversation going,” he said. “But there are a lot of variables.”

Proposed four-class structure for high school football:

Class A, 18 teams

School (enrollment)

Bangor (1441)

Lewiston (1305)

Deering (1288)

Sanford (1283)

Thornton Academy (1253)

Bonny Eagle (1212)

Oxford Hills (1197)

Brunswick (1194)

Edward Little (1106)

Massabesic (1106)

Noble (1088)

Portland (1076)

Mt. Ararat (1032)

Scarborough (997)

South Portland (960)

Skowhegan (930)

Biddeford (930)

Messalonskee (910)

Class B, 18 teams

Brewer (897)

Lawrence (896)

Windham (877)

Kennebunk (870)

Gorham (866)

Cony (859)

Mt. Blue (848)

Marshwood (816)

Westbrook (804)

Hampden Academy (784)

Leavitt (764)

*Nokomis (747)

Gray-New Gloucester (732)

Gardiner (729)

Morse (719)

Greely (707)

Mount Desert Island (680)

Fryeburg Academy (669)

Class C, 19 teams

York (661)

Waterville (659)

Old Town (640)

Lake Region (638)

Belfast (625)

Falmouth (620)

Mountain Valley (608)

Cape Elizabeth (595)

Poland (554)

Winslow (545)

Oak Hill (539)

Cheverus (515)

Maranacook (511)

MCI (499)

*Yarmouth (497)

Wells (478)

Bucksport (472)

Rockland (466)

John Bapst (466)

Class D, 14 teams

Lisbon (445)

Foxcroft Academy (438)

Mattanawcook (411)

Dirigo (387)

Orono (383)

Dexter (372)

Traip Academy (334)

Old Orchard Beach (320)

Winthrop (313)

Livermore Falls (299)

Madison (298)

Boothbay (277)

Jay (275)

Stearns (254)

*-Nokomis and Yarmouth do not yet field MPA-sanctioned varsity football programs.