What To Expect In Gloucester Township As High School Sports Begin

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — With the high school sports season getting underway this week amid the coronavirus pandemic, things will look a little different on the field and in the stands.

All athletic contests will be limited to 500 spectators, and the state mandates that 40 percent of tickets will be allocated to the visiting team.

“Essentially, there will be a shortened season and limitations on travel and spectators, but student athletes are working hard to prepare for play,” the Black Horse Pike Regional School District said in a newsletter posted on the district’s website.

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

Anyone heading to Highland, Timber Creek or Triton regional high schools to watch an athletic contest this fall must adhere to the guidelines as outline below:

• All spectators must wear a mask while on school property;
• Spectators who do not live in the same household must adhere to the social distance guidelines of 6 feet apart or more on the sidelines; and
• There may be limits on how many spectators will be permitted to attend. For any event held in one of the schools’ stadium, there will be capacity limitations in place. Tickets will be issued to both the home and away teams in advance, and only those with passes or tickets may enter.

Schedules for teams at all three schools can be found on the school district’s website.

The football teams will each play a six-game schedule this year, with all three teams set to begin their seasons Friday night. Read more here: Revised Schedules For Black Horse Pike Football Teams Released

All three teams are members of the West Jersey Football League. The 95-team conference will have no divisions this year. The state will not host playoffs for football, but any team that wants to participate in a postseason will have the chance to do so via four-team postseason “groupings,” according to nj.com.

See more stories about New Jersey's coronavirus recovery.