Arizona fans could be kept away from games into 2021
We know there will be no fans at any Pac-12 games until at least the end of the year, but according to Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke it could be longer than that before crowds are allowed back into Arizona Stadium or McKale Center to watch the Wildcats in person.
Thursday when the Pac-12 announced its decision to bring back football and men's and women's basketball this November, the league's CEO group also announced that the games would be returning without fans.
As of now that will remain the case until at least the end of 2020, but the only guarantee as of late September is that the leaders in the Pac-12 have agreed to revisit the idea of fans in the stands by the time 2021 rolls around.
"Let me be clear for everybody, January 1 is not a date that has been selected that we are guaranteed to have fans," Heeke said Friday during a virtual press conference with local reporters. "We made a commitment across the league to prior to the January 1 date we would reevaluate where we stand as a conference regarding fans.
"So, there's no guarantees that there will be fans in 2021. We'll evaluate that. I'm very hopeful. I want to be optimistic, I hope we can get there."
Arizona, Heeke said, does however have a plan for how it would approach the allowance of fans at games and who could potentially attend based on how many people the athletic department would be allowed to let in.
Heeke is someone who pushed to have fans allowed at games where health officials allow it, but the league has made a point to move in unison throughout the process of reentry during the COVID-19 pandemic and that played a role in the decision Thursday though there are some schools that also were in favor of having fans at games this fall.
He remains hopeful that fans will have an opportunity to attend games at some point in the the first half of 2021.
"I'm optimistic because I believe here at Arizona we have an excellent strategy to do that in a real safe manner," Heeke said. "Now, wanna be careful. There's a lot on the line and we have to respect our local communities and what's happening, but I think we can do that. So, I'm optimistic and I want to find ways where we can have our fans engaged in the games because they play such a vital role.
"We want them to be part of this, and we want them to watch the games and support our teams locally. We also know how important it is to the local economy and what's going on, but we have to do that the right way."
Tailgating will also not be allowed on campus throughout the fall in addition to fans being prohibited from attending games this football season, Heeke said Friday.
One coach who is in favor of bringing in fans is women's basketball coach Adia Barnes. The Wildcats were one of the biggest draws in the Pac-12 last season and it helped raise the profile of the program. Not having fans at McKale Center is certainly something Barnes believes will impact her team.
"For us it's a huge disadvantage to not have fans," Barnes said Friday during a virtual press conference. "... It is totally different. I mean we're talking last year getting 6,000 (fans) a game."
Barnes said she will have to make some determinations about potentially pushing back notable nonconference matchups keeping in mind that fans should be allowed back in the 2021-22 season.
Heeke, who says he was an "advocate" for having fans in the stands this season leading up to the Pac-12's Thursday decision, hopes to have some creative ways to keep fans engaged during the upcoming fall season when they cannot attend games in person. For now, their TVs will become their best friends.
RELATED: Arizona football coach Kevin Sumlin discusses change in direction for Pac-12
RELATED: Pac-12 CEO Group approves fall restart for football, men's and women's basketball
****
> DISCUSS the article with other Arizona fans as the Wildcats continue Building The Tradition
> WATCH the latest videos from GOAZCATS.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel
> FOLLOW us on Twitter (@goazcatscom, @MattGOAZCATS)
> FOLLOW us on Instagram (@goazcats)
> LIKE us on Facebook
> SUBSCRIBE for all the latest Arizona Wildcats team and recruiting news (subscribe now)