Home Forums Long Island & Eastern New York Soccer Message Boards Roll Away The Stone Soccer News Athletic directors to discuss spectators at Suffolk high school sports

by Jordan Lauterbach
jordan.lauterbach@newsday.com

A decision on whether or not spectators will be allowed at Suffolk high school sporting events this fall is set to be debated among athletic directors later this week, but local athletes have already come to a general consensus. Although having mom, dad, and their classmates in the bleachers is great, they just want to play.

“I will do anything to get on the field, especially being my senior year,” said North Babylon girls soccer player Samantha Muller. “If my parents can come, that’s great. But if not, I just want to play like everyone else…Of course it wouldn’t be ideal, but we’d just have to deal with it.”

NYPHSAA guidance for the return of interscholastic athletics, released in a report drafted by its statewide COVID Task Force Friday night, called for limiting spectators to two per participating athlete. Tom Combs, the executive director of Section XI, which governs Suffolk, told Newsday last weekend he doesn’t want any spectators at games and will discuss it at Thursday’s meeting of athletic directors.

Section XI is set to follow state guidelines and begin practice and play for low-risk sports — named by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo as soccer, field hockey, tennis, cross country, and swimming — on Sept. 21. Higher-risk sports will be allowed to begin restricted practices, but have no date to start competition.

Section VIII (Nassau) will not have high school sports in the fall, instead playing three compressed seasons between January and June in 2021.

Whitman athletic director Jim Wright said he believes that spectators will, at some point, be allowed at Suffolk games, but acknowledged that there are hurdles to making sure the two-spectators-per-athlete rule is enforced. One of those hurdles is what to do for away games or meets, especially when it’s held at an off-campus venue, such as Sunken Meadow State Park for cross country.

“Things that are run off campus, we can’t control the spectator situation there,” Wright said. “We’d have to rely on the other school to give us the word. We’d probably be sending our own security people to away contests at schools. But even to send someone to a cross country meet wouldn’t do us any good because we can’t manage the area.”

Wright believes that this issue will be resolved at the meeting on Thursday.

“We almost have to because, really, we’re almost 12 days away from the start date,” Wright said. “So, the decision to even come back and play is going to have to be made this week, so we can prepare next week for the return.”

Steven Nacht, who’s son Matthew is on the Half Hollow Hills West boys soccer team, said he believes that wearing a mask and being socially distant at a soccer game would not be a problem. He said that, although the important thing is that ‘the kids get to play,’ he would be upset if he couldn’t watch his son.

“I can’t imagine it, to be honest with you,” he said. “But these are the times.”

Eastport — South Manor cross country runner Michael Silveri doesn’t think that having two spectators per athlete will pose that much of a problem at Sunken Meadow, where the 5-kilometer course has plenty of places to stand and watch at a distance.

But, like Muller, Silveri said that if he had to choose between running without spectators and not running at all, he would still choose the thrill of competition above all else.

“I think, in running especially, spectators are important,” the senior said. “It’s hard to keep motivated for a 5K or the two-mile on the track, so the cheering helps. But, at the same time, if it means we can’t have a season if we have to have spectators, then I certainly think that the spectators should be limited because, I really want to have a season.”

Said Sophia Bica, a junior on the Northport field hockey team: “We just want to get out on the field and play together. It’s fun no matter what.”

However, Bica added that empty stands would change the ‘feel’ of a game, especially during a playoff push.

“Once we get [further into the season] the fans help even more,” Bica said. “It just makes it more intense, a more interesting game. Towards that part of the season, they mean a lot more.”

Center Moriches boys soccer coach Chris O’Brien agreed: “You’re going to have to get up for games. I think we’ve seen that translate in the professional ranks too. A team coming from behind won’t have the support of its crowd and things like that, which really spurs on a group.”

For a program like Center Moriches soccer, where community members and alumni make every game an event, no fans in the stands would be an unwelcome change.

“I think that’s going to be a real unfortunate thing if that comes to fruition,” O’Brien said. “A lot of these kids won’t go on to play at a higher level than in high school, and this is their chance to stand out. I honestly feel that it’ll be more like club soccer where there’s a handful of parents there and less like the atmosphere of a good high school game.”

So, parents pay the freight for their children and can't attend their games? Screw this idiot. Really getting tired of these dinosaurs and their tireny. They're still minors too.

i would definitely prefer to go to the games but if this is the only way the kids can play , can they figure out a way to put the games on you tube so the parents can watch from home?
Put in a good word for us Larry???

I do get indoors but outdoors where you can easily social distance in almost every situation?

There aren't that many people who attend the games so let them attend and wear masks when they aren't social distancing. If they don't adhere, have security ask them to leave the field. Simple. Why the heck are people so afraid to make rules and decisions?

There are too many reckless people who either don’t care or do not think about the safety guidelines at these games. I have watched and paid attention to these matches so far. Too many parents either are not wearing masks or not properly wearing them and using them as chin straps. Parents not socially distancing and even shaking hands with each other. Too many parents use these matches as part of their own social life and see it as a gathering. It’s supposed to be about the player on the pitch. Instead parents go against safety guidelines. High school coaches and schools see it themselves and know that the problem is not just the kids safety but rather it’s the parents attending these matches with no safety procedures. It’s not the schools responsibility to enforce the guidelines for parents/adults. Therefore, the best alternative is to not have parents at these matches.

There are rules in place and too many parents are either reckless or don’t care. School officials have enough on their plates right now with just attending school and making sure it’s safe for the teachers and students. They cannot enforce the guidelines at all after school sporting events. People, this is not a return to normal right now and everyone needs to understand that. School administrators are not going to “police” the stands with parents who do not follow the guidelines. That will not happen. The best solution is no parents at the games. It should be abut the players not the parents watching.

Let the kids play. When we were kids growing up, our parents worked and hardly ever saw a game. They heard the highlights at dinner. Too many parents today are living and dying by their kids sports these days.

Let them play.

As a coach, what I have seen is most kids tune out their parents in the crowd anyway, they get their head in the game. Good players do that. Some kids get distracted by their parents yelling at them during the game and some hope that their parents won't "coach" them on the ride home about what they think they should be doing. I had a kid last season wouldn't play Left Mid because that half put them on the parents sidelines. The kid ( a good player) begged me to play Right Mid instead so he wouldn't have to hear his dads mouth. That is sad. And no conversation with that parent helped.

Put the fun back in playing and stop worrying about if you can watch. It is not about you, and if you say its because your kid wants you there, their lying. They just want to play.

Finally a real adult talking.

Second that,

Let them Play!

i don't know about that. LI numbers keep creeping up. Yesterday it was up to 1.8 percent. The highest yet and trending in the wrong direction.

Hopefully the #'s peak at only 1.8% after a holiday weekend. If that is the case I think that is a good sign that the vast majority of people in our area are doing the right thing

That’s because kids who are away at college and test positive are counted in Long Island numbers. Everyone is worried about the kids not obeying the rules how about the schools with delayed openings is from teachers and staff testing positive.

Instead of allowing parents to attend the games, why don't the schools/ county just set up virtual parents/fans ln some seats just like in professional sports such as the nba, us open ,etc. (So the parents stay home and watch the game on their computer while their reactions are recorded and presented on the telecast)These die hard parents can pay for the privilege, thereby offsetting the added cost of sanitizing the fields, etc. This will also prevent the parents from coaching from the stands, bothering the coaches, the refs and getting into it with parents from the other team. Added benefits!


all kidding aside, Youtube would be a good idea.

OP of this, as an FYI, this is my opinion if they allow them to play and the hubbub about if parents should be at the games. If COVID breaks loose again, no one should be playing and we all hunker down again.
Stay safe

Wrong the kids that are away at college, and tested there, are counted there. They are not counted by their home address. They are counted where they are tested.

Wrong, home address is used with a positive test even if away at school

Home address is used- the kids at Oneonta who live in Commack for ex are counted in Suffolk County's numbers

ridiculous to ban spectators. We can go to dinner, we can go to stores, etc. We are OUTSIDE. Give me a break.

False info! Even cuomo said that. Was 1.8 because all the update college kids who tested. The numbers hit the home address not testing address.

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