Telegraph photo by TOM KING There were plenty of fans on hand for the North-South girls volleyball game last year, but that certainly won't be the case this season due to pandemic restrictions, which include only home team fans allowed to attend.

NASHUA – Games between Nashua High School North and South later this fall, no matter what the sport, will definitely have a different feel.

As in a one-sided rooting interest feel.

Originally, Nashua athletic director Lisa Gingras was of the thinking that fans of both schools, limited in number, would be able to attend games against each other since they were from one locale, Nashua.

But that has apparently changed per a decision by school officials. Nashua Athletics tweeted out on Friday that there’s been a reversal from what was written in Friday’s on-line Telegraph story of the cancellation of the North-South Turkey Bowl.

The pandemic-related policy seemingly universally adopted by most schools around the state, especially in Division I, this fall is to not allow fans of the away team, period.

And evidently that will now apply to a North-South contest. In other words, if North is the home team, South fans won’t be able to attend.

“There has been a change to fan restrictions,” the tweet said. “There will be NO VISITING FANS allowed at any games, including the North/South games. Only the home team will be permitted fans in attendance. More details to follow.”

Generally speaking, Gingras said the other day the plan was for the Nashua home teams to have between two and four fans per participant in attendance, “depending on the facility.”

What changed for the visiting fan policy? Gingras said on Saturday that on Thursday, the Division I athletic directors made it an across the board policy to not allow visiting fans.

Also, she said, the athletic department, in sending protocols to Nashua health officials for review to obtain the permit for Stellos Stadium use, wanted to keep crowds down as much as possible. “That’s what changed on Thursday,” she said.

“We know it’s not ideal and people will be disappointed. But what’s the alternative? What we had in the spring.”

Which, of course, was no school sports at all.

Gingras said student athletes of North or South home teams will be given between two and four tickets or passes to give to family to use for games. No admission will be charged this fall for any athletic contests.

Either way, the fan participation will be minimal at best. And, in the case of North vs. South – the teams will likely be playing each other in most sports in their abbreviated seasons at least once, perhaps twice except for football – it will be very small and different. With that decision, it makes even more sense not to play the Turkey Eve Bowl. South will be the home team for the regular season football game, Gingras said, which is on Friday, Sept. 25 at Stellos.

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