Tri-County League returns to court
League exercising caution, restrictions amid COVID-19 concern
A staple of the area’s summer sports over the past seven years has returned to the court.
The Tri-County Basketball League, which is run by SpringFord High School assistant boys basketball coach Dan Hoff, began play Monday after being put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, like many other teams and leagues.
There are 70 teams playing, with age groups ranging from 3rd/4th Grade to High School Boys and Girls and an adult league. Many of the high school teams are made up of kids who play in the Pioneer Athletic Conference.
While Hoff said he typically expects as many as 150 teams, he was still impressed with the participation numbers.
“We accepted registrations and we just kept updating teams along the way for ‘If we get the go ahead, we’re going to do this. We understand if you change your mind, but you do have a spot reserved’ and people really appreciated that,” Hoff said. “That was something that gave them something to look forward to. I think it really kind of helped ease them back into stuff.
“We’re just going to continue to run these leagues and continue to bring sports back and leagues back for people in the area because, quite frankly, they need it.”
Hoff said he talked to the league’s insurance providers and some health care professionals to form the Tri-County League’s COVID-19 safety rules and regulations, which are posted on the league website along with a link to the state’s guidelines for youth sports.
Players are supposed to receive temperature checks and be checked for virus symptoms before games. Hand sanitizer is provided upon entering and leaving a venue, and at the scorer’s table during games.
Benches are disinfected between games, and teams and spectators must leave immediately after each game while the following teams wait until they clear out before entering.
Some in-game measures include using one game ball and encouraging players to have at least one seat in between them on the bench.
“Everything ran really smoothly,” Hoff said of the first night of games Monday. “People were very patient, understanding because they all want the same thing. My response to this whole pandemic situation and coming back with these leagues is you can have the best of both worlds. You can have the league come back but you can also have strong safety precautions in place.
“I think that our league is a perfect example of what that’s going to look like moving forward. We’re going to try and continue to do the best we can to be an example for other leagues who have expressed interest for coming back, and they needed someone to kind of take charge and lead the way.”
Upper Merion junior Ty Jones watched the late game of the High School Boys league Tuesday at Aspiring Champions Sports Performance Facility in King of Prussia. He said he has been doing individual workouts in the facility, but Tuesday was his first time playing competitively in a large group.
Though he was somewhat reluctant to play, he got approval from his mom to join some of his Upper Merion teammates on the court Tuesday night.
“I’m not worried for my safety, but I’m worried about my family and stuff,” Jones said. “I was second guessing coming out here and stuff, but it feels good to be back. My mom was a little worried about it, but she finally let me come today.”
Along with Aspiring Champions, the other facilities used for the league are Coventry Christian (Pottstown), United Sports (Downingtown) and the Boyertown Salvation Army’s outdoor courts.
Spectators are allowed to attend and required to wear masks for indoor games (almost all did Tuesday night) while highly encouraged to do so outdoors.
Most in attendance Tuesday kept their distance from each other as they watched the game take place.
“I was pretty comfortable, not too bad,” said David Fenske, whose son Anthony is an 11th grader at Spring-Ford and was playing Tuesday night. “We weren’t sure what was going on, so we were just going to play it by ear. It was pretty important. He needed to move around and see his friends again.”
The Tri-County League schedule concludes July 30, followed by playoffs, but Hoff thinks the changes in hygiene and safety protocols this summer will extend long after that.
“Through a lot of this, especially with the basketball, there actually are some good things that have come out of this COVID situation in terms of preparation,” Hoff said. “Now, in youth sports, you’re going to see things that probably should have been there to begin with, like hand sanitizer at every scorer’s table and disinfecting benches every couple games. Those are things that don’t take a lot of effort, and they make a big difference.”