Sun Belt Conference delays start of fall sports. Here’s how it will impact CCU athletics
The Sun Belt Conference announced Thursday that it will push back the start of fall sports competitions this upcoming school year to Sept. 3 because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but that won’t affect football.
At Coastal Carolina, that means the volleyball, men’s soccer and women’s soccer teams will have to delay the start of their seasons, which traditionally begin in late August.
The decision does not impact football in the conference at all. The Chanticleers are scheduled to begin their football season on Sept. 5 at South Carolina — a game that will pay CCU $1.4 million.
Each Sun Belt member school will be responsible for rescheduling any of the games lost by the delayed start to the fall season.
Those three impacted sports’ schedules at CCU were already being altered by other conferences, including the SEC and ACC, moving the start of their fall seasons back into September.
Coastal has not posted any fall sports schedules on its website other than football because of the uncertainties caused by the spread of COVID-19, according to Kevin Davis, CCU’s assistant athletic director for media relations.
The Sun Belt stated in its announcement Thursday that the delay gives conference members additional time to implement protocols for a safe return to competition:
“The Sun Belt Conference and each member institution will continue to lean on the COVID-19 Advisory Panel, which has worked diligently to establish protocols and guidelines that will ensure the health and well-being of student-athletes, coaches and staff as they return to play.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 1:22 PM.
