March 9, 2019
Background and Basics
The safety of our fans, players and staff is paramount. We are reading, evaluating and monitoring this unique health crisis closely. The AUDL will continue to gather facts and react prudently.
The CDC has an excellent set of FAQs and guidance on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html. COVID-19 is a new (novel) virus that impacts the respiratory system and has no known cures. COVID-19 is generally thought to be spread from person-to-person through respiratory droplets.
Prevention
The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. However, as a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including:
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Stay home if you are sick
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Avoid close contact with people who are sick
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Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
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Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
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Disinfect frequently touched objects/surfaces using a regular household cleaner
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Follow CDC’s recommendations for facemasks
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Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
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If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Most people who develop this flu-like virus recover with little or no medical intervention. If you are in an area that has been impacted by the virus, you may want to have supplies on hand to help manage your symptoms.
Potential Impact on the AUDL
The opening pull for the AUDL 2020 season is just around the corner with our first game scheduled on Saturday April 4th. Currently, our season will begin without interruption. This action is consistent with other outdoor sports activities where you can allow social distancing (i.e. keeping 3 feet away from others). However, we will monitor each of our team’s cities as our actions will be market specific.
The AUDL games are played in stadiums where capacity is typically greater than the number of fans attending. This allows fans to keep a social distance from others to minimize the probability of getting this potential disease from an infected person.
We do recognize that some fans may elect to avoid public gatherings so we are pleased that all AUDL games, including this year’s AUDL Game of the Week, will be available to watch on AUDL.tv as an easy-to-access option for subscribers to catch all the action.
Although we believe the risk of attending our games can be relatively low if everyone adheres to the CDC recommendations above, we may still see some impacts. We currently see three ways that COVID-19 may impact our season:
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Forced Shutdown: In some AUDL cities, local or state governments could order all public gatherings, including sports games, to pause until further notice
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Fans: Even though infection rates are relatively low, some fans might still be nervous about public gatherings and avoid attending our games in person
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Players, Officials, Coaches, Staff: Our on-field and support personnel might be nervous about traveling to certain locales that have announced cases. Although improbable, airline restrictions or other adverse recommendations could be announced by government officials.
Guidance
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Overall: The AUDL Executive Council and our local team owners are closely monitoring the situation and any federal, state, or local governments’ call to action. We will respond quickly and appropriately to any mandates.
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Fans: We have asked our teams to encourage fans to follow the CDC’s guidelines above on prevention. We will work hard, alongside others, to ensure people understand the facts, versus hearsay and speculation. Specifically,
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If you’re sick, please enjoy our games on AUDL.tv from your home
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If you’re over 60 years old and have compromised health please enjoy our games from home
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Spread out and keep social distance when attending (i.e. 3 feet)
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Minimize, and if possible, avoid physical interaction with others
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Players: Players will minimize contact with fans as an extra precaution. We will ask our players to be available to take pictures post-game but refrain from autographs and fan high-fives until further notice.
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Concession Staff: Although there’s no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread from food, all concession staff must continue to follow food safety procedures including use of gloves.
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General: We are asking our teams to take extra steps to give our fans peace of mind when attending an AUDL game (e.g. post CDC prevention tips, provide hand sanitizer, make PAs during the game, communicate well in advance about game status to fans, etc.)
In summary, we feel it is important that we all stay informed of the situation and be prepared to react if the situation changes. In the meantime, we are very excited as we get ready to put on our biggest and best season of pro Ultimate ever.
Steve Hall
AUDL CEO + Commissioner