Story Poster
Notre Dame Football

Notre Dame A.D. Jack Swarbrick Committed to Having Fans in the Stands

May 12, 2020
4,507

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick joined The Fight on Tuesday afternoon as the University raises money for students whose families have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

What the pandemic has been like for him:
"For me, it's been so unusual because while I've faced a number of major things in my career, there has always been some precedence for it - something you can lean on, some experience in the past or somebody else's experience that could help you. There's none of that here. I've learned a lot about something I didn't know and how to be very flexible. 

"Our students, coaches and staff have been remarkable. They've been so resilient and so focused and determined. All the characteristics that make them successful on the field of play, on the court or in the pool, wherever it may be, have really shown themselves here." 


On the game in Ireland:
"It was such a great experience when we went last time and everybody enjoyed it so thoroughly, including our students. But it's really derivative of other things. It starts with what's the plan for the campus in the fall. It's really important that we don't address these athletic issues separate from the larger university issues of what's the plan, when we return to school, so that's the first piece of this. 

"Then, the second piece is what's college athletics doing? Is college football going to start on time? Forget Notre Dame-Navy. When we get better information about those two things, then we can answer the specific Ireland question."


On if there will be fans inside Notre Dame Stadium this fall:
"Yes. We're committed to having fans in the stands and we'll start with the other students. My view throughout has been, if we think it's safe for students to be on the field playing football, it should be safe for the students to be in the stands watching football. 

"So, we'll build off that base of the other students, faculty and staff will be a priority for us to give them an opportunity, and then our fans. 

"We haven't yet gotten to the question of how big that audience is. We won't be at capacity. We'll do something less than that. And we'll be very careful about maintaining social distance. How the facility works, how you enter it, how you exit it, all things to be determined. We're working hard on them."


On steps to make Notre Dame Stadium safe for an audience:
"What we're focused on right now is gathering all the best practices and ideas we can. Some of the NFL teams are a little further down the road, so we're looking at what they're doing, but all the things you mentioned are part of it. It won't be a normal tailgating environment. 

"We need to create distance in tailgating and make sure people are safe. I think you'll enter the stadium a little bit differently. I think what we'll ask you to do when you enter will be a little different. I think the concession opportunities will be different. I think in the stadium, we're going to work real hard to create some space among our fans."


On things he's seen as a positive or something he's learned through the pandemic that he can use as a positive:
"I do think we've learned some really important things. Two things I'd put in there. One is sort of just disease prevention generally. As you think about the issue in the context of Covid, it's all things that are going to benefit us, whether it's mersa, or whatever else it might be down the road. I'm really pleased with the permanent changes we're making in things from, what the training room is like, to what the strength and conditioning activities are, that'll help promote greater safety. 

"Of course the other thing is, we're learning we can be pretty efficient on a remote basis. It's still important for us to gather and be part of the community physically, but we can get a lot done remotely."


On if the pandemic changed his views on Notre Dame remaining Independent: 
"Not yet. There's a lot to learn and a lot to see, but I remain confident that, especially with our great partners at the ACC, we'll be able to still maintain a full - and by full, I mean the same number of games as other people are playing. A full schedule. But you're right. This is one more piece of data that will help us think about it. 

"Our clear goal is to remain independent. We think it has great value for the university and so it's a goal. But a championship format is part of it, our broadcast partner being committed to our relationship is part of it and what we learn this year all goes into the equation."


On impact of the pandemic on Notre Dame's athletic budget:
"When this hit, the impacts in the current year were somewhat limited. We don't produce a lot of revenue out of our spring sports. It didn't have a big consequence. Going forward, however, the consequences can be anywhere from severe to difficult. What we're focused on is looking at every possible expense and how to take care of how we use the resources that the Notre Dame community helps us earn. 

"So, it's things like more regional scheduling, where we're not flying to an opponent, but we're busing to them. It may even be some shortened seasons. We'll look hard at that. We've been really pleased to join in with others in the university on the salary reduction program, where a lot of our employees are reducing their compensation and using that to make a contribution to the University."

 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.