CCSF Athletics to Fully Resume This Fall
By Colton Webster
After a season filled with uncertainty, City College athletics department is gearing up for a full return-of a sort-to the field this fall.
Department chair Dan Hayes said that “there’s no question we’re gonna be playing. Will there be fans in the stands? Hopefully.” Playoffs and state championships are additionally likely to resume this fall.
Currently, Hayes said, the department is focusing on getting the incoming freshman class ready to compete for the upcoming season. The department is planning on all teams playing a full season, with the exceptions of cross country and track and field, which were eliminated in recent budget cuts due to a “lack of interest and participation,” Hayes said.
City College athletes are not presently required to be vaccinated to be eligible for competition. Hayes said the decision to mandate vaccines will be made by the college in collaboration with the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
It’s unknown at this point in time if COVID-19 protocols will remain in place for athletes during the fall season. However, Hayes said that there has yet to be a positive case since the department started testing in February of this year.
Up to this point, the City College athletics department has navigated the pandemic in a similar fashion to much of society at large: Through trial and error, loosening and re-tightening restrictions as case counts have risen and fallen. Hayes credits the planning of athletic directors, coaches, and trainers with enabling teams to play in person during the spring semester.
Hayes said in closing that, “the teams and coaches have had a very productive spring … the real goal [of the spring semester] has been to start training and developing to go line up and play in the fall.”