Fans are back! With High School Athletics back in action in New York, some normalcy has been restored to student athletes everywhere. Luckily for them, the good news keeps coming. Last week, Section XI released their guidance regarding spectators for fall sports, which includes but is not limited to football, soccer and volleyball. 

The Section XI Guidelines are different for sports that take place outdoors as opposed to indoors. For outdoor sports, no more than two spectators per athlete may be allowed, whereas indoor sports is limited to two spectators per athlete, but only for the team hosting the venue.

Lindenhurst Director of Health, Physical Education & Athletics, Anthony Amesti, would later go on to confirm that Lindenhurst would be going along with the guidance from Section XI, along with some added safety measures. These additional measures include: Lindenhurst spectators will not be allowed to travel to away games for outdoor sports, as opposing schools will be turning away Lindenhurst fans. Lindenhurst will also not be accepting any spectators from opposing schools at a Lindenhurst hosted event. For spectators attending an event at a Lindenhurst venue, they will go through several simple procedures, such as:

• Temperature scan upon entering
• Sharing of the Lindenhurst Daily COVID Attestation from their mobile phone, which states that they are COVID symptom free
• A Presentation of a Lindenhurst Spectator Pass
• Check in upon entrance to match spectators up with the student athlete that appears on the roster that day.

Other simple health and safety measures are also in place, such as wearing a mask at all times, sitting and standing socially distanced in assigned areas, while also behaving appropriately and modeling Positive Spectator Behavior. 

Although things for fall sports won’t be as normal as they once were, these new guidelines give the parents of many of these student athletes the ability to see their kids again. And for the parents of seniors, they get to watch their kids play at a high level for potentially the last time.