ACC Will Proceed With Plans For Fall Sports
ACC pushes forward with its competitive schedule while most other collegiate conferences have pushed to Spring because of the Coronavirus COVID-19.
As of September 8, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) announced it will play.
“The ACC’s principal priority as we approach fall competition is the mental and physical wellbeing of our student-athletes. After listening to our student-athletes, and considering the further advice of our Medical Advisory Group, the Atlantic Coast Conference continues to proceed with its plans for competition in fall sports,” announced the ACC.
According to the statement from the Conference, the decision was based in part because the majority of their student-athletes want to compete if it is possible.
The ACC statement included a reference to the players all working hard to enable themselves to compete safely.
It is important to note that the conference’s student-athletes who chose not to play will not jeopardize their scholarship support, and the decision to compete or not compete will not cost the student a season of eligibility.
“The public health situation is dynamic and uneven in the United States and at our member institutions.”
ACC Stament
“The ACC will regularly monitor the changing situation and is prepared at any time to adjust schedules and games to reflect changes in that situation. The ACC will also respect the decisions of individual schools as they continually assess the public health situation affecting their students and communities. As it has done all year, the ACC will carefully reevaluate the public health needs as we go along, relying on public health expertise and putting the health and safety of our surrounding communities at the center of our decision-making.”
Women’s soccer takes the field first staring on Thursday, September 10 with Appalachian State hosting Pitt and Duke welcoming Wake Forest.
Men’s college soccer kicks off when Notre Dame hosts Kentucky on Thursday, September 17 followed by Clemson vs Wake Forest on Friday, September 18.
North Carolina women are scheduled to play September 17 and the men on September 25 but the Tar Heels campus has seen a recent spike in confirmed cases of COVID-19 since students moved on campus.
As of today, according to the New York Times’ Tracking Coronavirus Cases at U.S. Colleges and Universities, there are confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in more than 1,000 American colleges & universities.
The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill dashboard has over 1,150 confirmed cases. With no new cases reported on campus so far this week, hopefully, the rise of COVID-19 cases is contained.
According to a recent survey by the New York Times of more than 1,500 American colleges and universities at least 51,000 cases have been confirmed of COVID-19 with at least 60 deaths since the pandemic began.
According to the NY Times, Clemson University has 336 confirmed cases.
ACC Commissioner John Swofford said on March 12, “This is uncharted territory and the health and safety of our student-athletes and institutions remain our top priority.”
Back then, ACC suspended all athletic-related activities including all competition, formal and organized practice, recruiting, and participation in NCAA championships until further notice to protect from the further spread of COVID-19.
