The Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association is working on yet another proposal for a statewide football tournament.

After repeated past attempts have failed, the MHSFCA expects to present a plan at the MIAA state football committee meeting on Feb. 9.

The proposal "is still being developed by the Massachusetts State Football Coaches Association," said Dave King, athletic director for Athol, the chair school for football in the PVIAC.

King said the official proposal would be considered a public document on Feb. 9.

Football coaches and athletic directors from throughout the state have been debating the merits of two potential plans, both of which feature six divisions. Western Massachusetts would have three divisions of 14 teams each.

Currently, the west, central and eastern football teams play separate postseason tournaments.

"Nobody is happy with what we have now," said Northampton coach Ken O'Brien. "It's ridiculous. I don't see why Massachusetts is the only state in the union that can't have a playoff. It all stems from Thanksgiving. Nobody wants to give up Thanksgiving. They see it as a big money day."

The MHSFCA will meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at Xaverian High School in Westwood, The MHSFCA website requests all league representatives to attend for the playoff proposal discussion.

"I think there's a legitimate tiredness for what we're doing, and I think the MIAA senses that," O'Brien said. "Personally, I think (the current system) is a waste of time. It proves nothing. It's treated like it's huge, but what about the team that won its league or went undefeated."

The Berkshire Eagle reported Tuesday that there are proposals for both a seven-week regular season with eight sectional qualifiers per division and an eight-week regular season with four qualifiers.

Both plans preserve the regular Thanksgiving Day games and play the state championships on the same Saturday as the current western Massachusetts Super Bowl weekend.

"Some of the concerns have been addressed and modified to some of the questions raised by schools," King said. "There are many differences from the last proposal. Obviously, they can't all be addressed. Thanksgiving is the largest factor."

The earliest a state tournament could happen would be the 2013 postseason.

The last major proposal for a football state tournament, which was created by an MIAA Football Ad Hoc Committee was voted down by member schools 190-114 in March 2010.

"There's going to be flaws with everything that is proposed," O'Brien said. "The bottom line is that it isn't going to be the football people that make the decision. It's the ADs. Granted, some of them are football people, but the great majority of them are not."

Jim Pignatiello can be reached at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.