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Somerset, NJ -- The Northeast Conference (NEC) today announced updates to its spectator policy for the remaining slate of NEC Championships this spring.
The modifications were approved by the NEC Council of Presidents following a thorough assessment of the current state of the health crisis, as well as evaluation of conference protocols designed to allow institutional staffs to focus on maintaining the health and safety of those participating in championship events.
Spectator Policy For NEC Championships Hosted On Campus (baseball, field hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track and field)
- If the host institution permits fans to attend athletic events, the host will be required to provide equal access to home and away spectators
- If the host institution’s policies preclude fans from attending or would limit attendance to home team fans only, the championship will be played with no spectators
- The spectator capacity at any host facility will be determined by campus, local and state guidelines and may vary across the conference
- Ticket distribution policies for home and visiting spectators will be determined by each participating institution
- Spectators must comply with institutional COVID guidelines while in attendance, including any screening requirements as per campus visitor policy
- Spectators must adhere to social distancing between groups (families may sit together) and remain masked (covering the nose and mouth) at all times
- Spectators may not interact with student-athletes before, during or after the conclusion of the event
- Failure to comply with the conference and institutional spectator policy will result in removal from the venue
- Tailgating is strictly prohibited
Spectator Policy For Neutral Site NEC Championships (baseball, golf and tennis)
- Fans will be permitted to attend neutral site NEC Championship events in golf (Penn National/Fayetteville), tennis (Mercer County Park/West Windsor, NJ) and baseball (Dodd Stadium/Norwich, CT)
- In open area championships in golf and tennis, spectators must remain socially distanced from student-athletes and coaches at all times (exact distance determined by the conference as per venue policy), wear a mask that covers the face and nose, practice appropriate social distancing between groups (families may sit together) and comply with all venue, local and state COVID-related protocols, including any screening requirements to gain admission
- Spectators at the NEC Baseball Championship will not be permitted to sit near or congregate by the dugouts or behind home plate
- Spectators may not interact with student-athletes before, during or after the conclusion of the event
- Tailgating is strictly prohibited
This policy applies to NEC Championship events only; spectator policies for regular season events will continue to be made at the campus and local levels.
NEC fans are invited to follow, for free, NEC regular season and championship action on NEC Front Row (necfrontrow.com) and via the NEC on the Run app.
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 40th anniversary season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout seven states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Boston (#9), Baltimore (#26), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary’s, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (
www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (
www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.