Ottumwa Schools is today announcing its membership in a new high school athletic league: the Iowa Alliance Conference. Eleven of Iowa’s largest high schools will begin competing in the new conference, developed to enhance competition and participation among schools with long-time rivalries, with the start of the 2022-23 school year.
“The Iowa Alliance Conference aligns with our Be The Best initiative,” said Superintendent Mike McGrory. “It will provide our students the opportunity to excel and experience tremendous success.”
The Iowa Alliance Conference will be divided into two divisions and consist of the following high schools:
- North – Ames, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, Mason City, and Waterloo East
- South – Des Moines East, Hoover, Lincoln, North, Ottumwa, and Roosevelt
Currently 10 of the 11 schools compete in the Central Iowa Metropolitan League. Waterloo East is joining the IAC from the Mississippi Valley Conference.
Athletic directors and administrators from the member school districts have been working over the past several months on establishing the new conference. Positive considerations in forming the alliance include:
- More competitive equity between the member high schools;
- Greater similarities among the member high schools;
- Increased competition and success for greater student participation and engagement;
- Increased competition and success in order to hire, support and retain coaches;
- Greater flexibility in decision-making and scheduling within a smaller conference;
- Maintain historic rivalries between central Iowa high schools.
"The Ottumwa High School Activities Department is excited to join the new Iowa Alliance Conference beginning in 2022-23,” said Scott Maas, Activity Director for Ottumwa Schools. “We believe the conference will give our student-athletes in all sports great opportunities to compete with other schools our size. We have had a great relationship with the CIML Metro schools, and the IAC will allow us to continue those rivalries."
Next year’s schedules for the Iowa Alliance Conference will be posted at a later date. The new conference will first compete in Cross Country, Boys Golf, Girls Swimming and Volleyball starting next August.
