By Mark Lindahl
Long Beach State athletic director Andy Fee is hopeful that fall sports will be able to compete despite the announcement on May 12 that the California State University system will continue alternative instruction for the fall 2020 semester.
“We are planning to move forward,” Fee said. “We are planning to have our fall Big West championships, [game] schedules. Now certainly things can change between now and then, and certainly we will adhere to public health directives and other guidance from local, state, system-wide guidance, but … I think we need to be positive about things, or attempt to be.”
The athletics department is preparing to allow an audience, but with fanless games now becoming more of a reality than an idea, the atmosphere of Blair Field and the Walter Pyramid will be much different than before.
“I would hope we [have fans],” Fee said. “We’re going to do everything we can to have our students and fans at women’s volleyball to open the season but that may not be possible.”
While Fee remains optimistic that the venues will soon seat Beach supporters and competition will commence, he said the student-athlete experience and their health is the top priority of the department.
“These are things we know today and certainly things could change. … As we sit here today, yes, I believe we can compete,” Fee said. “We don’t want to promise things, but also I don’t want to pull the plug too early.”
Listen to the full discussion in a Beach Weekly Bonus between Lindahl and Fee about how the department is managing budget cuts, how the athletes feel not being able to train and whether or not you will be able to watch the Beach compete from your computer screen.
