Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The Atlantic Coast Conference is changing the way fans see sporting events, and storming the court and field could be null and void.
ACC members will enhance event security plans to ensure that student-athletes, coaches, and game officials have an opportunity to safely leave the competition area after basketball and football contests.
The ACC also announced this past week schools will also provide public reports on the availability of student-athletes to participate in each Conference game in football, men’s and women’s basketball and baseball.
“Our enhanced health and safety initiatives reflect our continued responsibility to lead with integrity, prioritize the well-being of our programs and fans, and modernize our operations to meet the evolving needs of today’s collegiate landscape,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D.
The elevated expectations for event security plans in men’s and women’s basketball and football will require that only student-athletes, coaches, officials, and authorized personnel are allowed in the competition area before, during, and at the conclusion of any competition. Further, visiting team personnel and officials must have the opportunity to safely exit the competition area before spectators may access the competition area following a contest. These plans must be reviewed by an independent third party by the start of the 2026-27 academic year.
Breaches of the event security policy will result in a fine that increases for each occurrence over a rolling two-year period – first occurrence: $50k; second occurrence: $100k; and third and subsequent occurrences: $200k. Occurrences accumulate per school rather than per sport. Any fines will be put into the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship account.
On the second point before each conference game, a team will disclose any student-athlete whose availability for the upcoming game is in question. A student-athlete can be listed on the Availability Report if their status is uncertain for any reason (e.g., injury or illness, academic or other eligibility issue, personal or family matter, etc.); however, only the status and not the specific reason will be publicly reported.
This policy is intended to help protect student-athletes and staff members from outside entities seeking to obtain inside information about availability and participation, including but not limited to injuries. It will also reinforce to athletes and staff the sensitivity of such information.
In football, a report will be submitted two days before each Conference game (e.g., Thursday before a Saturday game) with an update on the day before the game and on game day. In basketball and baseball, reports will be submitted the day before each Conference game and on game day.
For each report submitted before game day, student-athletes will be designated as Available, Probable, Questionable, or Out for the upcoming game. Game Day Reports will be submitted two hours before each game. For this report, student-athletes will be designated as Available, Game Time Decision, or Out.
All availability reports and the full conference policy will be available to the public and media on the ACC’s website – www.theACC.com.
Failure to follow the availability reporting policy will be subject to review and potential penalties under the Conference’s sportsmanship procedures.
