An Update From AD Jon Gilbert

Pirate Nation,

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate through these unprecedented times and work to put together a fall sports calendar. We are working daily through the football and fall sports schedules, fan attendance and much more, but everything remains fluid.

I know not having immediate answers can be frustrating, but it's the reality we are living in right now. Hopefully, I can try and answer as many questions as possible with an understanding you will be receiving additional updates in the coming days and weeks.

2020 Football Schedule
Our 2020 football schedule is becoming clearer after an announcement from the American Athletic Conference and its members today. AAC institutions will play an eight-game conference season plus up to a max of four non-conference games. Non-conference games will be determined by each conference institution based on local guidelines.

Now let's examine what that means for ECU.

Our initial 2020 schedule featured 12 games, but the South Carolina and Norfolk State contests were eliminated from the schedule last month. The SEC will be playing a 10-game conference only schedule and we are in discussions with South Carolina to move this year's game to a later year. Norfolk State is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which suspended all fall sports competition last month. We will move our game against Norfolk State to a future year, most likely 2025.

Currently, we have 10 games on our schedule - eight conference games and two non-conference games (Marshall at home, Georgia State on the road). Our conference schedule will not change from what was previously announced and you can view the entirety of the schedule on ECUPirates.com.

We are going to keep our schedule at 10 games while continuing to have discussions with other schools. We have talked with Marshall about the possibility of moving our season-opener on August 29 to a date in early or mid-September and those discussions will continue.

Due to the pandemic, our department is working with a very limited staff – most working remotely. We want to ensure we have a facility prepared to host a football game if fans are allowed in attendance.

Fans at Dowdy-Ficklen
I know Pirate Nation has questions about fan attendance for football home games and we are still cautiously optimistic this is possible. Granted, it's not going to be a normal home football season in terms of attendance and gameday atmosphere.

While we aim to have fans in attendance, it's imperative we create an atmosphere that is safe for all involved and includes following all mandated protocols. We continue to work with university, local and state health officials to get guidance on how we can proceed in terms of fan attendance. Face masks or facial coverings will be mandatory at all athletic venues.

Our goal remains to have our current season-ticket holders, ECU students and student-athlete guests in attendance.

It's important to note with a limited capacity and following CDC guidelines of social distancing, there's a strong possibility we will need to have fans spaced throughout the stadium which could potentially push season-ticket holders out of their regular seats.

It's an inconvenience I hope our fans understand could be necessary during this pandemic. The support of our season-ticket holders and Pirate Club members are crucial to our athletics department and we will do everything possible to accommodate the needs of our supporters.

The process of how seats would be allocated will be announced later along with specific information pertaining to parking, tailgating and entrance and exit plans. You will receive communication from the ticket office and the Pirate Club outlining your options.

Options for Season-Ticket Holders
As noted in communication in early June, we have several options for season-ticket holders who wish to opt out of the 2020 season.

Receive a full refund for all impacted games.
Receive credit to your account for 2021 football season tickets.
Ticket credit amounts can be converted to a charitable donation to the Pirate Club for student-athlete scholarships. This would be a tax-deductible donation (no priority points) and not applied towards your 2020 Pirate Club Annual Scholarship Fund commitment. Each account will still receive two (2) priority points awarded for purchasing season tickets and maintain consecutive years of season ticket purchases.

We understand there are fans who may make the decision to not attend games in 2020 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium because of health and safety concerns. You will not lose your seat rights and we will welcome you back in 2021 with open arms. Pirates will stand together through this pandemic.

The support ECU Athletics receives from our fans through Pirate Club donations is the backbone of our department. We don't take the support lightly and want to inform you of your options. As we move forward, I don't want this to be a transactional process. I ask for patience as we finalize a plan for fan attendance. You will receive communication in a timely manner to make a decision on how you proceed.

This pandemic has affected so many individuals, families and businesses. The challenges ahead of us all are real.

The funding we receive from ticket sales and the Pirate Club is crucial for the success of our athletics department. There's going to be an economic impact this year that we will feel, but we want to make sure the safety and well-being of our student-athletes remains at the forefront of our thinking.

We are members of this community, region and state, and with that comes responsibility to provide a safe environment for anyone who enters our facilities. I also understand the economic impact a home football game has on our local community and businesses.

There's no one more eager to have Pirate Nation back in full force than our staff, but it has to be done in compliance with our university, local and state health officials as we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our student-athletes, coaches and staff miss seeing you and we hope to reunite soon at our athletic venues.

Let's continue to wear masks and emphasize social distancing so we can all enjoy football in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium this year.

Go Pirates!

Jon

Related News

Related Videos

Footer