Spring collegiate sports such as baseball and lacrosse are right around the corner, but UNC fans will have to stick to watching games on television.

In a letter on Tuesday, UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham confirmed that the university will not allow fans in the stands at athletic events during the spring semester. This also applies for winter sports such as basketball, which is in the midst of its season currently.

Cunningham clarified that while the student-athletes can invite two family members, the university cannot welcome fans back due to safety precautions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our student-athletes, coaches and staff remain committed to following community standards and want to do everything they can to compete this semester,” said Cunningham. “Thank you for your continued support – and we look forward to the time when we can welcome you, our fans, back to our events.”

Last year, Governor Roy Cooper approved large outdoor event venues with at least 10,000 seats to be open at seven percent capacity amid the pandemic. As such, UNC’s Kenan Stadium was allowed to open 3,570 seats of its 51,000-seat stadium for football games.

Other outdoor fall sports stadiums, however, like Dorrance Field and Karen Shelton Stadium, do not meet the 10,000 seat requirement. Carmichael Arena and the Dean E. Smith Center also do not qualify because they are indoors.

While the limited number of tickets were not made available to the general public, the Tar Heels allowed a select few Rams Club members, students, and corporate sponsors to fill the stands at Kenan Stadium in 2020.

UNC is set to begin a busy spring semester for sports. In addition to the completion of winter sports and the beginning of spring sports, certain fall sports (such as soccer and field hockey) will re-begin and play an abbreviated schedule after NCAA championships were moved to 2021.

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