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Marching band members and cheerleaders at colleges in the American Athletic Conference will not be permitted to travel for football games off-campus or perform on their home field this fall, according to The Commercial Appeal, a publication in Memphis, Tenn.
The gameday restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic are “believed to be the first” issued among the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I institutions, and will be re-evaluated as the football season proceeds, The Commercial Appeal reported.
The restrictions will affect the 11 member universities in the AAC. These colleges’ marching bands will be permitted to perform in the stands at home football games, possibly with reduced numbers, and will be required to practice social distancing, The Commercial Appeal reported. Spirit squads, including cheerleaders, will not be allowed on the field.
The restrictions were shared with The Commercial Appeal by an anonymous source on June 24. Bernadette Cafarelli, associate commissioner of communications for the AAC, said in an email that the conference will not share its official protocols and that they will be announced “at a later date.”
