UTRGV Athletics announces its COVID-19 gameday protocols for the upcoming women’s and men’s 2021 spring soccer season in a news release Monday.
Games at the UTRGV Soccer and Track and Field Complex – the Vaqueros home pitch – will have a limited fan attendance of 150 spectators of the maximum 1,250 capacity and entrance to the games will be on a first-come-first-serve basis.
UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque explains in the news release the importance of health and safety to all who attend home games and their collaboration with the university’s COVID-19 taskforce.
“We have been working hand-in-hand with the University’s coronavirus task force to create these protocols. We feel confident that this plan will allow us to keep everyone safe.”
Additional protocols at home games will include:
— Face coverings that cover both the nose and mouth only being able to remove mask while actively eating or drinking;
— Social distancing markers;
— UTRGV students will be asked to sit in the designated student section;
— temperature check before entering;
— a max of three spectators in the men’s restroom at a time and a max of four spectators in the female’s restroom at time and;
— packaged drinks and snacks sold at the concession stand.
UTRGV women’s soccer head coach Glad Bugariu spoke about his team being able to showcase their talents in front of fans in a weekly Zoom news conference
“By the time you get to this level you want to play in front of people. You play to win, that’s the lone reason why you’re out there, but at the same time you want to be able to get the recognition and get the love from the people that support you.”
After a near year-long layoff due to COVID-19, UTRGV men’s soccer head coach Bryheem Hancock, in his first season at the helm, is excited to return to the pitch.
“I’m just anticipating the nervousness and excitement and just try to keep the group calm going into Wednesday.”
Both women’s and men’s soccer will hold closed-door scrimmages at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday, respectively, at the UTRGV Soccer and Track and Field Complex versus Texas A&M International.
For more updates and highlights visit GoUTRGV.com.
For Vaquero Radio, I’m Luis Rubio.
