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Liberty League, RIT, update spring spectator policy

spring sports spectator update graphic

General | 4/2/2021 12:00:00 PM

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Liberty League commissioner Tracy King announced the league presidents have agreed on an updated spectator policy for the remainder of the 2021 spring season. 
  • No outside spectators will be permitted at Liberty League contests. This includes family members and parents of student-athletes for both home and visiting teams. Each campus will determine if its currently enrolled students, faculty and staff may be permitted to attend its home athletic events, subject to local and state guidance and university/college policy with such capacity limited based on facility size. 
"We join our fellow Liberty League members in supporting the conference's decision, which was made with the best interest of all our campus communities in mind," said RIT Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Lou Spiotti Jr. "After having our entire spring shut down last season, we are excited our teams have an opportunity to compete this year. While we would enjoy nothing more than to welcome family and friends back to campus to watch them in person, this policy will provide the safest environment possible for our student-athletes."
 
Starting Saturday, April 3 for all events at all home venues, to include RIT Turf Field (Lacrosse), RIT Softball Complex, RIT Baseball Complex, RIT Tennis Complex, RIT Stadium (Track & Field): 
  • Only RIT faculty, staff and students who are eligible to circulate on campus will be permitted.
  • Up to 200 spectators will be allowed at each facility.
  • A valid RIT ID and Daily Health Screen must both be shown to be admitted.
  • No bleachers or seating will be provided at any venue.
  • Attendees must stay in the designated areas at each facility as directed by event management staff.
  • Masking is required at all facilities.
  • Physical distancing must be maintained.
  • Public Safety will address non-compliance. 
Live Stream Information
The RIT Athletic Department will make every effort to webstream home contests via RIT All-Access, based on infrastructure, equipment and staffing at each outdoor venue. Visit RITathletics.com/watch for a listing of live events as they are scheduled. Live links, including in-game statistics, can also be found on teams' individual schedule pages on RITathletics.com.

RIT Tigers Mobile/Streaming Apps
Fans can watch RIT home events via the department's recently launched streaming and mobile apps. Free apps are available to download on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku, while the RIT Athletics mobile app is available to download on iOS and Android Devices.

A note from Liberty League Commissioner Tracy King: 
Resuming athletics competition after nearly a year with no games on many of our campuses has been a total team effort. Our student-athletes have been extremely responsible and dedicated in following institutional protocols, including regular COVID testing and risk mitigation. They understand that a single positive COVID test can jeopardize a team's season. They know what's at stake.
 
The athletics administrative and sports medicine staffs at our institutions have put together extensive plans to give our student-athletes the best chance at being successful. While a majority of our scheduled league contests were played this past weekend, the risks remain.
 
A number of our institutions have seen recent COVID spikes with contagious new variants posing a significant threat to our campus communities. While our members are quickly able to identify and isolate individuals who test positive through regular campus surveillance testing, contact with and exposure to individuals from outside the campus community only increases the risk. Some institutions have made the difficult decision to either limit or prohibit guests at commencement this spring in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID.
 
As a parent, I understand the disappointment our parents will feel with this decision. We want to be there to support our sons and daughters and to share in their achievements. We also want to provide them with the best opportunity to be successful, which, in this case, means limiting their potential exposure to COVID. If it means watching games on live stream rather than in person, let's all do what we can to make this season a success for our student-athletes.