BREAKING: Atlantic 10 League Suspends Fall Season
COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS INFO
Soccer is among the fall sports whose competitive events have been suspended this fall.
July 17, 2020
The Atlantic 10 Conference (A10), the athletic league in which Fordham’s sports teams compete, announced on July 17 that all conference games and championships scheduled for fall 2020 will be postponed. The A10 plans to reschedule these events for spring 2021; exact dates have yet to be announced.
The postponement applies to fall events in men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, men’s and women’s cross country, volleyball, men’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, rowing, baseball, softball, and women’s lacrosse.
“Safety, health and the well-being of student-athletes, coaches, administrators and the campus community at large is the primary concern and responsibility of the Atlantic 10 Conference and its member institutions,” read the announcement on the A10 website.
Interim Director of Athletics Edward Kull shared the news with Fordham Athletics members in a July 17 email. He acknowledged the responsible leadership of both the A10 and the Patriot League, the football league in which Fordham plays. The Patriot League canceled the fall season on July 13.
“I understand intercollegiate athletics are an essential part of your Fordham experience and know this decision is not easy to hear,” Kull wrote. “Please continue to let me, your coaches, and sport administrators know how we can support you and any questions or concerns we can answer for you.”
Kull said the department plans to host four events — a student-athlete town hall, international student-athlete town hall, student-athlete parent town hall and individual sport compliance meetings — to discuss these announcements and answer further questions.
The A10’s statement includes plans for a mid-September “look-in window” when the league will re-examine the coronavirus situation. If the risk of spread has been “substantially reduced,” the league will consider reinstating a shortened fall competitive season.
Teams will still be allowed to practice with safety protocols in place, established with the league and tailored to each member institution.
A decision about going forward with winter sports like basketball, which begins in November, will be made at a later date.
