Some Arizona parents want AIA to remove fan restriction at away games

PHOENIX — Ivette Contreras started feeling nervous after seeing on a livestream her son fall to the ground during his soccer game.

“The game is over at this point, so they cut the feed,” she told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show. “I don’t know if my son got up or if he stayed on the ground.”

Contreras couldn’t attend the game because of new Arizona Interscholastic Association COVID-19 protocols. She immediately texted her 16-year-old, a student at Desert Ridge High School, to see if he was hurt.

“I had to wait until he was able to text me back and say ‘yes, mom, I’m fine,’” she said. “Those were definitely a couple of minutes of anxiety.”

The AIA prevents parents and guardians of a visiting team from attending the games as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Parents and guardians can only attend the home games.

But some parents disagree with the move and through an online petition are asking the AIA to reverse its decision.

Contreras said she signed the petition and added it would be easy for parents to practice social distancing at soccer games.

“The bleachers, they’re not exactly packed,” she said. “We had one of our parents say we can have a 12-foot distance between parents because it’s not packed, especially when you go to an away game.”

The AIA declined a request for comment.

In a statement after the AIA’s executive board voted Jan. 12 to reinstate the winter sports season and allow parents and guardians to only attend the home games, Executive Director David Hines said it was a “very difficult decision.”

“We all want winter sports to happen, but it must be done safely,” Hines stated.

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