Major Changes Could Be Coming In Iowa High School Sports Landscape

There could be major changes ahead for the landscape in Iowa High School Sports. 10 Member schools of the Central Iowa Metro League or CIML have reportedly expressed interested in leaving the conference. Fort Dodge was one of the the schools named in a document from the Marshalltown Superintendent that circulated through the media Monday. The possible exodus would include long time Fort Dodge rivals, Mason City, Marshalltown and Ames. Also named in the document was Ottumwa and all five of the Des Moines City Schools.

Those 10 schools would presumably break away and form their own conference. A new conference could begin competing as early as the 2022-2023 school year. The departure from the CIML and formation of a new conference still has hurdles to clear. One of the major hurdles would hinge on the Des Moines City Schools. All five of those schools are tied together and would either move all as one or wouldn’t move at all.

The move for Fort Dodge would have to first be approved by the School Board. They are set to meet Monday, March 8th and discuss the possible move. The departure of Fort Dodge would break its ties to the CIML which date back to the early 1990’s.