After a season of no spectators and a scaled-down sports schedule, this is how things may shape up for the 2021-2022 Atlantic East Conference season.
With the fall sports season starting up again, so are the return of spectators at AEC sporting events. The Atlantic East Conference is expected to make an announcement regarding the spectator policy for this upcoming fall season. Many speculate how the Delta variant may effect the capacity of fans at sporting events.
“We have not made a final decision on spectators at this time, but hope to do so in the coming days,” Jessica Huntley, commissioner of the Atlantic East Conference, said. With the season starting next week, the policy from March 12th, is still in place. As of right now family members are only allowed to be in attendance.
With the first game for Cabrini athletics being on a Wednesday the policy of no fans, outside of family members and staff, will be in place. Other collegiate leagues, have granted spectator access to games. However the AEC is waiting to see how the Delta variant pans out during this athletic season.
Photo by: Chris Schaller
“Sophomore year we didn’t even know if we were going to play, so I am definitely excited to have fans back in the stands,” TJ Scott, junior soccer defender, said. With the exception of seniors and for the most part juniors, athletes have not experienced a collegiate atmosphere, where there are fans in the stands. Other regional Division III conferences such as the Landmark Conference, have also not updated their spectator policy so the message right now is to play it safe while the Delta variant continues to surge.
As compared to larger collegiate conferences, athletic events at Cabrini do not require tickets and evidence for being at an event, so there are not any concrete enforcements of the policy. There aren’t going to be a massive amount of fans in attendance for a particular game. There is speculation that the institutions of the AEC will have the leeway to make their own guidelines when it comes to spectator policies.
This will be the first time that underclassmen will potentially get a taste of having fans in the stands. With the board members of the AEC expected to release a spectator policy sooner rather than later, there is much speculation as to how available the sporting events will be. The fall season includes soccer, field hockey, women’s volleyball and cross country. Three out of the four sports are eligible to have spectators.
The Mid Atlantic D-III conference recently released a statement declaring that the institutions within their conference can make their own decisions when it comes to spectators. The AEC may have recently released a statement amongst their own constituents, however, the most recent spectator policy is from March 12th. Cabrini may have the full authority to enforce a spectator policy for their athletic program.
