On Feb. 1, Fordham Athletics announced that fans were permitted to attend athletic events held inside the Rose Hill Gym. This announcement signaled a change from the Jan. 4 policy that has been in place the whole spring 2022 semester. In the original policy, fans were not permitted to watch games in-person due to COVID-19 safety restrictions.

Decisions regarding the return to campus this spring and the best restrictions to enforce were not taken lightly. In the Jan. 4 statement on the Fordham athletics page, athletic director Ed Kull stated that university leadership worked with Health Services and the athletic medical staff to reach this conclusion. Before the new policy was released on the 1st, the only people present at games are the coaches, athletes, officials and essential administrators.

“The University will lift these restrictions when it is deemed safe to do so (there is no single factor that will determine the threshold, but certainly a lower infection rate in New York City is a prerequisite),” explained Bob Howe, assistant vice president for communications.

The restrictions on spectators were lifted on Feb. 1. As of Feb.1, New York’s COVID-19 numbers are steadily decreasing. Additionally there are only 35 active COVID-19 cases at the Rose Hill campus. However, even though the restrictions on fans attending games are now lifted, many athletes felt that having to play with no viewers affected their performance negatively.

Sports fans are typically familiar with the idea of the home-court advantage. Some of this comes from familiarity with the court and the comfort of your own domain, but it can also be attributed to the increase in support that the team feels when stands are filled with those rooting for them.

“This is a very resilient group that has been through a lot the past two years. They won’t let this stand in the way of our goals. We hope that it gets resolved soon. The home-court should be an advantage and we really need it!” said women’s basketball coach, Stephanie Gaitley, in response to the no spectator policy.

With COVID-19 cases beginning to decline, many anticipated that the university would slowly begin to lift some of their current restrictions. Before the Feb. 1 announcement, many student-athletes and sports fans were hopeful that the spectators’ return was not far off. Some athletes noticed a difference and felt affected when playing without fans.

“Having no fans has been a very difficult challenge for our team. We have missed having our family and friends being able to come support us, and we hope in the near future we will be able to have our Ramily back in the stands,” said Anna Dewolfe, FCRH ’23.

Fordham Athletics stated that visitor policies will be evaluated on a continuous basis and that any updates will be available on the Visitor/Fans Regulations page of the athletics site.

There are still a number of games remaining for both the men’s and women’s teams, allowing ample opportunity for students and spectators to return to the stands.

There are also still several other ways to stay up to date with the Fordham teams and enjoy their games. They are available to watch on ESPN+ and to listen to on WFUV.