Fans will be able to attend New Mexico sporting events

Feb. 25—Fifty weeks.

Actually, 50 weeks, two days and about nine hours if we're being precise.

It's been that long since fans have been allowed at a sporting event of any kind in New Mexico, an historic dry spell that started after the high school basketball state tournament in the spring closed its doors to spectators starting the morning of March 13.

That run will end Saturday, when ticket vendors at the University of New Mexico allow fans into Santa Ana Star Field for a doubleheader between the hometown Lobos and visiting Air Force. It will be the first time since the closure any high school, college or professional sports organization has held a game inside the state's borders, let along allowed fans to come and watch.

"Ahhhh!" is how UNM baseball coach Ray Birmingham described his reaction to Wednesday's news that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state health leaders had modified the state's public health order, clearing the path for large outdoor venues to accept fans on a limited basis as early as this week.

The eased order will, if conditions in each team's county maintain acceptable levels based on the state's guidelines for COVID-19 protocols, allow a predetermined percentage of fans into the venue on game day.

The change immediately impacts New Mexico's professional teams, as well. From the Albuquerque Isotopes and New Mexico United down to the Pecos League and the Santa Fe Fuego, fans — to some extent — will be back.

Under the current conditions in Bernalillo and Santa Fe counties, outdoor sports venues would be allowed to accommodate 25 percent capacity. For the Isotopes and United, each of whom share Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park, it means crowds of no more than 3,375. The United averaged more than triple that figure in its inaugural season of 2019 while the Isotopes averaged nearly 8,000 a game.

United owner and President Peter Trevisani hailed Wednesday's news as a victory for all New Mexicans, not just those who turned out by the thousands to shatter the United Soccer League's attendance standard in the team's first season in 2019. He said he remains cautiously optimistic about the future but is willing to move mountains to make the fan experience — whatever percentage of them it may be — a worthwhile and safe event.

"I'm in a mindset that we're going to do whatever it takes," he said. "Where that leaves us, it leaves us."

The United plan to roll back season ticket packages into the 2022 season, leaving ticket sales for all home matches this season on a per-match basis.

Wednesday's news will not have any impact on high school sports, according to New Mexico Activities Association sports information director J.P. Murrieta. He said the NMAA is monitoring the situation, but that the plan is to move forward with prep sports this spring without fans.

Some coaches from Santa Fe have lobbied to allow limited numbers at games. Santa Fe High football coach Andrew Martinez said he proposed to the NMAA a plan that would allow just parents and possibly immediate family into games.

As for college sports, it's a welcome sign that things are slowly returning to normal. New Mexico State, New Mexico Highlands, Western New Mexico, Eastern New Mexico and each of the state's lower-level schools at NAIA and the junior college ranks canceled their fall sports seasons due to the health restrictions that prohibited sporting events from taking place within state lines.

Only UNM remained active, doing so at a huge expense to the school. The Lobo football team played a truncated seven-game season while moving its base of operations to Henderson, Nev., and playing home games at UNLV's Sam Boyd Stadium.

UNM sent its men's and women's basketball teams to Texas to train and host games in the Panhandle. New Mexico State sent its basketball teams to Arizona to do the same. Each move cost the schools tens of thousands of dollars in hotel and food expenses, not to mention the mental health impact it had on the players and staff for being away from home for weeks on end.

"It's been a true testament to our student-athletes and our coaches for their patience and understanding, but we're excited," said UNM athletic director Eddie Nuñez, who lauded the efforts of the Governor and other state leaders. "We're excited to move forward."

With COVID-19 cases continuing to drop and projections calling for the possibility for Santa Fe and Bernalillo counties to improve from the state's yellow level to green within a month, outdoor venues would increase to 50 percent capacity. An elevation to the turquoise level would increase outdoor capacity to 75 percent.

"We've got to take it step by step," Nuñez said. "I don't want to put the cart before the horse in this."

For Birmingham, just the idea of playing at home — fans or not — is music to his ears. He sat by and watched the struggles of his school's other programs while leading a nomadic lifestyle in order to compete and, truthfully, said he wasn't as concerned about his players doing the same.

Still, getting to play at home, dress in the team's own locker room, compete on its own field and welcome fans into a refurbished Santa Ana Star Field that tripled its seating capacity with a massive facelift in the offseason, he's ready to get things rolling.

"I'm pumped, the kids are pumped, everybody's pumped," Birmingham said. "It's exciting news. It's fantastic. We want to show off the new ballpark, show off the new team. We want to kick some butt on our field and we love playing at home. Ask the Yankees, they feel the same way."