When all D1 sports at the University of Denver were postponed for the fall season, many expected it to be the same for those at the club level. However, The Club Sports Executive Council (CSEC) recently announced that they plan to keep all club sports running at some capacity.

After months of work over the summer, the council alerted teams that they can anticipate a regular schedule of two practices a week under strict regulations. Although the exact plans of return have not been announced, the council remains hopeful that they will be able to proceed as expected. They are currently waiting for their protocols to be approved by the University. 

In recent weeks, the CSEC contacted leaders from each club to make it clear what rules players will be expected to follow. The CSEC declared a “zero-tolerance” policy regarding parties and unsafe activities. They warned that that if any club hosts a party or a club sports member is found in attendance of a party, the respective team will be shut down for fall quarter and possibly for the rest of the year. 

The CSEC has not yet released practice schedules for teams but told them to expect to begin in the second week of fall quarter. The practices, if approved by DU, will be 90 minutes long with a 30 minute cleaning window between each team. Players will also be required to register online for each practice to ensure that field and court capacities are followed.

Although teams are allowed to resume practices with some normality, their competitive seasons will look drastically different than in previous years. It is hard to determine what some seasons might look like, but many have already been told by the CSEC that they will not be allowed to travel or attend tournaments. Additionally, all players will be required to wear masks for the duration of their practices. 

The CSEC also announced that all club dues and fundraising efforts will be put on hold. Much of the university is still on a spending freeze, which accounted for the spending ban on club sports over the summer. Although clubs are now allowed to purchase items with team funds, there is a specific process outlined by the CSEC that they must follow in order to use these funds. 

The CSEC released the spending freeze on club sports to allow teams to purchase more equipment, so they are able to properly sanitize equipment during practices.

Although these are the rules the CSEC has currently laid out, it is important to note that all of this is subject to change based on DU’s COVID-19 procedures. The CSEC emphasizes that club sports are currently in a very fragile situation. However, they are working closely with the Ritchie Center to ensure that students get the safest experience possible while still being able to enjoy all that club sports can bring.