LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Tech soccer is again with its first recreation towards Houston Baptist Saturday, however the recreation day expertise will look very totally different this season to fight COVID-19.
Saturday’s recreation would be the first occasion or sports activities recreation the school has had for the reason that pandemic began, and Texas Tech Athletics urged followers to assist them comply with the security pointers it’s been planning for months.
“The protection of our followers is of our at the start concern,” mentioned Robert Giovannetti, Senior Affiliate Athletics Director/Exterior Operations & Strategic Communications.
Face coverings and social distancing might be required always, and video games have gone from 60,000 fan within the stands down to fifteen,000 with the stadium solely permitting for 25 % capability this season. Stadium seating has been modified to make sure social distancing, and hand sanitizing stations are dispersed all through the world.
In a single part, followers who can’t attend in particular person should buy cardboard cutouts — or “in-person Raiders” — of an image of their selecting. They’re on the market for $50 on the Texas Tech soccer web site.
“Folks can ship of their image of themselves or their canine or their cat,” Giovannetti mentioned.
Nevertheless, recreation day occasions outdoors of the stadium will look totally different too. Texas Tech is the one Huge 12 faculty permitting tailgating this season. Crimson Raider followers can solely tailgate three hours earlier than kickoff and one hour after the sport is over, and teams bigger than 10 should not allowed.
Tickets at the moment are 100% cell. All followers should do is present their telephones to get their tickets scanned on the gate. Tickets are nonetheless on the market on-line or on the ticket workplace on recreation day.
Concessions have gone digital too. Followers can now order each in-person from stands or on-line at texastech.ordernext.com or by utilizing the Texas Tech recreation day app.
Giovannetti emphasised that he and the Texas Tech Athletics group took under consideration the entire recreation day expertise each on and off the sphere when contemplating the security measures for the season.
“It’s not simply the sport on the sphere, which is paramount, but it surely’s all of the issues that go together with it. With the ability to be with your mates and luxuriate in your self the whole recreation day. We’re not attempting to take that away from anybody. Nobody needs to see these video games performed greater than we do,” Giovannetti mentioned.
Whereas he mentioned regulation enforcement might be there to assist with visitors as in earlier years, Tech Athletics is counting on followers to comply with the foundations and self police.
Giovannetti urged followers to assist them hold their fellow followers and the gamers secure by adhering to the security protocols. If there are violations of social distancing and masks sporting in the course of the first dwelling recreation, he mentioned future video games might be postponed and even cancelled.
“We predict we now have in place the perfect plan we now have to do the perfect we will to maintain our followers and our pupil athletes secure. It’s going to take some partnership, its’ going to take individuals doing their half … so assist us after which hopefully subsequent 12 months in 2021, we’ll return to what we’re all used to in a traditional recreation day setting,” Giovannetti mentioned.
