The Santa Clara Valley Athletic League Board of Managers didn’t change its stance on spectators at indoor sports – they still aren’t allowed – and at Thursday’s meeting also voted to further limit the number of fans permitted at outdoor sports this spring.
The board, comprising the principals of Los Altos, Mountain View and 12 other public high schools in the county, overwhelmingly approved a motion to allow no more than two members of a participating athlete’s household to attend an outdoor sporting event in SCVAL Season 3. In Season 2, the league allowed up to four household members at football and field hockey games.
Many of the outdoor sports in Season 3 – such as baseball, softball and water polo – are played at facilities with smaller bleachers, according to SCVAL commissioner Brad Metheaney, making social distancing more difficult.
“Some of the venues are very small,” he said in explaining the board’s decision. “That’s why we’re keeping it to two household members at games while we’re the in orange (tier) for all Season 3 outdoor sports but water polo, which is limited to only two household members at home games.”
As for indoor sports in Season 3 – basketball, wrestling, boys volleyball, badminton and gymnastics – the board decided to stick with its Season 2 rule of prohibiting fans at events played inside. However, that could change.
“We’ll revisit that if we get to yellow (tier) or – and this is me talking now – we might allow senior parents at a couple games down the road,” Metheaney said.
Some parents have suggested that the league consider allowing household members with vaccination cards to attend indoor sports, but the commissioner said the schools “don’t have the manpower” to supervise that.
The board left open the possibility of altering its rules on spectators – if health conditions continue to improve – at an emergency board meeting tentatively scheduled April 29.
The possibility of participating in the Central Coast Section playoffs would likely also be on the agenda, the commissioner noted, because the board tabled that discussion last week. However, as Metheaney pointed out, “the CCS hasn’t made a decision on this yet either.” The CCS Executive Committee is expected to talk playoffs at today’s meeting.
For more information on the league, visit scval.com.
