Stanford Athletics continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely, in collaboration with university and government officials and public health experts. Updates regarding Stanford Athletics events and policies will be posted here and on Twitter (@gostanford) as they become available.
Updates are available for the university community at healthalerts.stanford.edu.
We thank you for your continued patience and support.
COVID-19 Update (September 24 • 5 p.m. PT)
The Pac-12 CEO Group announced today the decision to start the 2020 football season, with conference-only competition beginning the weekend of Nov. 6.
Additionally, the Pac-12 CEO Group approved a Nov. 25 start date for the men's basketball and women's basketball seasons, in accordance with the NCAA Division I Council's Sept. 16 decision to allow competition to begin nationally on that date.
In an open letter to the Stanford community, President Marc Tessier-Lavigne explained the University's position.
"I want to thank President Tessier-Lavigne and Provost Drell for their extremely thoughtful leadership throughout this process," said Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics Bernard Muir. "We are eager for all of our student-athletes to have the opportunity to play this season, assuming it can be done safely and with the appropriate public health authority approvals. To that end, we have been in touch with Santa Clara County and look forward to continuing to work with them to create a path for our student-athletes to train and compete. As we continue those conversations, the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, coaches and community remains our top priority."
Today's decision was made after further consultation with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee. Since the Pac-12 CEO Group voted unanimously on Aug. 11 to postpone all sport competitions through the end of the 2020 calendar year, the conference has announced a daily rapid-results antigen testing partnership, adopted enhanced cardiac screening protocols and closely monitored case prevalence in the Pac-12's geographic footprint.
The revised football schedule features a six-game conference season, with three home games and three road games. The Pac-12 Football Championship Game is scheduled to be played either Dec. 18 or 19.
Complete schedules for football, men's basketball and women's basketball, along with other details surrounding competitions are expected to be announced at a later date. In adherence to the current guidelines of the University and Santa Clara County, it remains unlikely that fans will be permitted to attend events on The Farm for the calendar year.
In the event Stanford Athletics is able to welcome fans back to its venues, STMs, current Stanford students, and family members and close friends of the teams will receive access to tickets before the general public.
COVID-19 Update (August 11 • 1 p.m. PT)
The Pac-12 CEO Group voted unanimously today to postpone all sport competitions through the end of the 2020 calendar year.
The decision was made after consultation with athletics directors and with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee, who expressed concerns with moving forward with contact practice. The report and updated guidelines of the Committee can be found here, and the Conference's full release can be found here.
The Conference also announced that when conditions improve, it would consider a return to competition for impacted sports after January 1, 2021.
COVID-19 Update (July 31 • 1 p.m. PT)
The Pac-12 CEO Group announced today the Conference-only football schedule, along with updates for men's soccer, women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's cross country and women's cross country.
Practice policies and competition in all cases are subject to the approval of public health authorities and medical advice.
Return-to-competition plans for each of these sports were determined following extensive consultation with the Pac-12's Medical Advisory Committee.
Football
Stanford will open its season at Washington on Saturday, Sept. 26 (normally week four). Each conference school will play five home and five road games, with the flexibility if necessary to commence on a later date if the situation warrants.
Games that are unable to be played on their scheduled date can be made up in their bye weeks or in Week 12 (Dec. 12), with the Pac-12 Football Championship Game, now slated for Dec. 18 or 19 and to be hosted at a campus site.
Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Men's Cross Country and Women's Cross Country
Meanwhile, the Pac-12 CEO Group also approved Conference-only scheduling plans for men's soccer, women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's cross country and women's cross country, with competition to start no earlier than the weekend of Sept. 26. The first permissible date of practice for these Conference-sponsored sports will be Aug. 15. In all cases, the Conference-only schedules to be developed will be designed to support health and safety, and maximize flexibility.
COVID-19 Update (March 12 • 2:30 p.m. PT)
As the COVID-19 situation has continued to escalate within our community and around the world, our university has worked diligently to help protect the most vulnerable members of our community and combat the spread of the virus more broadly.
With that in mind, and after consulting with our university leadership, the Pac-12 conference, and the NCAA, we have decided to cancel all of our winter and spring sport seasons, effective immediately.
While it is possible that some athletics activities may be able to resume when in-person classes resume on campus, all competitions, practices, camps, clinics, and in-person recruiting activities are suspended until further notice.
Throughout this fluid situation, the support and understanding we have felt from our entire community has been greatly appreciated.
COVID-19 Update (March 12 • 10 a.m. PT)
The Pac-12 Conference announced earlier today that the remainder of the Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament is canceled. Additionally, all Pac-12 regular season competitions and championship events are suspended, effective immediately, until further notice. This suspension of competition will apply to all Stanford sports, regardless of conference affiliation. This is a fluid situation, and we will continue to post updates on GoStanford.com and on Twitter (@GoStanford).
Attendance Update (March 11 • 9:30 a.m. PT)
Monday evening, the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department issued an order, effective today, prohibiting gatherings that bring together 1,000 or more people in a single space (e.g., auditorium, stadium, arena, conference room, meeting hall, cafeteria, theater, confined indoor or outdoor space) at the same time.
In accordance with this order, and after further consultation with Stanford's Department of Environmental Health & Safety, all competitions hosted by Stanford Athletics will be closed to the public through May 15 or until further notice. Only participants, coaches, working staff, officials, credentialed media, and a very limited number of family members, friends, and guests of the competing teams will be allowed to attend. Please note that the March 11 update supersedes previous attendance guidelines.
Ticket purchasers impacted by this change will be fully refunded for the games that are now closed to the public. Refunds will be processed by Friday, March 13 and may take several days to reflect on your account.
We are currently exploring opportunities to enhance our live streaming capabilities so that Cardinal fans can continue to follow the action and support our teams.
Stanford Athletics will continue to monitor this situation closely, in collaboration with university and government health officials. Further updates will be posted here as they become available. We thank you for your continued patience and support.
COVID-19 Update (March 5 • 7 p.m. PT)
Stanford Athletics continues to work closely with Stanford Environmental Health & Safety to monitor and respond to the evolving coronavirus situation. In addition to the attendance limitations that were announced earlier today, please see below for the protective measures Stanford Athletics is taking at its events, as well as actions you can take to help prevent the spread of this virus.
As a standard, any potential guest who is feeling ill, regardless of their symptoms, should refrain from attending public events.
Additionally, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department recommended earlier today that people at higher risk of severe illness, including individuals over the age of 50 and individuals with underlying health conditions, avoid mass gatherings such as parades, sporting events, and concerts where large numbers of people are within arm's length of one another.
Beyond the two important principles outlined above, below are some of the additional precautions Stanford Athletics is undertaking to make its events as safe as possible for all attendees, staff, and participants:
- Limiting public attendance to approximately 1/3 of each venue's capacity through April 15 or until further notice
- Increasing the frequency of cleaning commonly touched surfaces and enhancing on-site janitorial service during competitions
- Providing attendees with COVID-19 prevention supplies, including tissues and sinks with soap and water
- Encouraging attendees, staff, and participants who seem ill to go home or seek emergency care
Below are actions we request all Stanford Athletics event attendees take to help combat the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses:
- Spread out throughout the venue to create comfortable distance between you and your fellow attendees
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your elbow
Further updates on this evolving situation will be posted here as they become available.
Attendance Update (March 5 • 3:30 p.m. PT)
Stanford Athletics has worked closely with Stanford Environmental Health & Safety to establish attendance guidelines for each competition venue in order to allow fans the opportunity for social distancing. Public attendance will be limited to approximately 1/3 of each venue's capacity through April 15 or until further notice. The attendance limits for each venue are as follows:
- Avery Aquatic Center (Women's Water Polo): 840
- Beach Volleyball Stadium (Beach Volleyball):333
- Burnham Pavilion (Men's Volleyball): 475
- Cagan Stadium (Women's Lacrosse): 667
- Cobb Track and Angell Field (Track & Field): 715
- Maples Pavilion (Basketball): 2,345
- Maples Pavilion (Wrestling, Men's Volleyball, Men's Gymnastics): 2,195
- Smith Family Stadium (Softball): 333
- Sunken Diamond (Baseball): 1,000
- Taube Family Tennis Center (Men's and Women's Tennis): 825
Individuals who have already purchased tickets for baseball, softball, and the Pac-12 Wrestling Championships are not impacted by these revised capacities and may attend those events as planned.
Information regarding NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament games will be communicated here, on our women's basketball social media accounts, and via email when it becomes available.
All other competitions during this time period are not ticketed, and attendance will be first-come, first-served. A limited portion of the reduced capacity will be reserved for student-athlete guests and Stanford students.
Further updates on this evolving situation will be posted here as they become available. In response to the rapidly evolving events surrounding COVID-19 (also called novel coronavirus), Stanford has activated an emergency operations organization focused on coordinating the university's response.
Earlier today, this organization published its first set of information and guidance, which included a recommendation to postpone or adjust large-scale events on campus between March 4 and April 15.
Per this recommendation, Stanford Athletics is currently working with Stanford Environmental Health & Safety to establish attendance guidelines for each competition venue and will limit the number of attendees at our competitions in order to allow for sufficient social distancing. These attendance guidelines will be published here as soon as they are finalized.
Updates regarding Stanford Athletics events will be added here as they become available. Additionally, we encourage you to follow us on Twitter (@gostanford).
General updates will be available for the university community at healthalerts.stanford.edu.