Stanislaus State will welcome athletic competition back to campus on September 2 after more than a year of inactivity. As the return of sports nears, the school’s athletics department has announced new health and safety guidelines for fans looking to attend events in person.
Outdoor events, which include men’s and women’s soccer games and cross country meets will require spectators to wear facial coverings, social distance and fill out a daily screening form. Students, faculty, staff, student employees and guests each have their own screening forms, which can be found on the front page of the official Stan State website. The Stan State athletics department also says that QR codes for each screening form will be printed and posted at the entrance of Warrior Stadium.
Volleyball is the only fall sport at Stan State that is played indoors. Their situation is drastically different from outdoor sports.
No spectators, including the families of student-athletes, will be allowed in Fitzpatrick Arena until October 1, the date in which the Stan State campus plans to officially repopulate and return to in-person instruction.
“Starting the season without fans has definitely been a hard situation to deal with,” said volleyball’s Chelsey Berry (senior, Communication Studies). 
“We had hoped that our fellow students and student athletes would be able to come out and support. We definitely rely on our fans rely on our fans… Having fans definitely brings more energy and urgency [for our team],” Berry explained.
The new spectator guidelines and restrictions are subject to change depending on Stanislaus County and Stanislaus State COVID-19 statistics and policy. In the week leading up to September 2, Stanislaus County has seen its 7-day average of positive cases rise to 453. According to the Los Angeles Times, Stanislaus County has a 54.8% vaccination rate as of September 1.
Members of the Stan State campus community are encouraged to follow @GoStanState on all social media platforms for updates regarding spectator guidelines and attendance restrictions. 
For those unable to attend home or away game, all events will be livestreamed online via the CCAA Network. The CCAA Network will be offered for free to fans for the rest of 2021.
The entire 2021-22 composite schedule for Stan State athletics can be found here, with more sports and events to be added in the future.