TROY, N.Y. – Liberty League commissioner Tracy King announced that the league's presidents have agreed on a spectator policy for the remainder of the 2021 spring season. The policy is as follows:

• 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.

"In support of our league colleagues and for the health and safety of the Ithaca College community, IC will strictly adhere to the Liberty League policy of no outside spectators at events on South Hill," said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Susan Bassett '79.

"Please know how much we would love to welcome family and friends to campus, but it is just not possible at this time. It is essential that we keep our 'Bomber Bubble' intact. After a full year with no competition, the ability to compete this spring is truly a privilege. Continued participation is fragile. Our goal is to complete our seasons, contend for Liberty League Championships and qualify for the NCAA Championships. Every additional contact puts the seasons at risk," stated Bassett.

"We are fortunate to be in this position and very grateful to President Collado and Vice President Ferro for their support for athletics engagement this semester. I am so proud of the discipline our student-athletes and the ingenuity of our coaches since our return in January. We need to keep our focus on safety. There's light at the end of the tunnel, but we are not there yet. Please support our Bombers through our webcasts and social media," Bassett concluded.

At Ithaca College, we will allow IC students who are cleared to be on campus to attend home events beginning the weekend of April 9-10. Students who choose to attend our home events will be expected to display their approved green badge upon entering each venue.

Ithaca College currently does not allow unapproved visitors on campus. Parents, family members and friends that are not part of the Ithaca College community are not permitted on campus.

Social distancing will be enforced at each facility and capacity guidelines set by New York State will be implemented. Details on each venue's capacity will be announced ahead of next weekend's home events.

The home venues include – Freeman Field (baseball), Kostrinsky Field (softball), Higgins Stadium (lacrosse), Glazer Arena and Wheeler Tennis Courts (tennis) and the Robert B. Tallman Rowing Center (crew).
 
A note from the Liberty League commissioner:

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.
 
INITIAL LIBERTY LEAGUE SPECTATOR STATEMENT