SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane Shock announced on Monday morning that they have postponed Fan Fest from May 12 to an unnamed later date and the team will not have fans at its first home game.
A spokesperson for the team said Washington Governor Jay Inslee's office told them that they cannot have any fans at their first game on May 15. However, a spokesperson for Inslee's office said this is incorrect, as indoor sports competitions and tournaments are allowed in Phase 3 of the "Healthy Washington" reopening plan.
The Spokane Arena indoor areas are still being used as a mass vaccination site, and there is not enough time to convert and restage the vaccination areas that the Shock would need for fans, Gov. Inslee's spokesperson Mike Faulk clarified. The Arena is also in the process of hiring back personnel for events and there is no way they would have necessary staffing by May 15 to accommodate fans, he added.
In a previous press release, the Shock said that the team was hoping to host fans at six out of seven regular season home games. Tickets were tentatively scheduled to go on sale in early May for home games in June, July and August. In June, the Shock is looking to have 25% seating capacity followed by 50% capacity in July if possible.
The Shock are slated to play Frisco at 7 p.m. on KSKN, KREM 2's sister station, that day. Spokane's next home game is not until June 19.
KSKN will televise all seven of the indoor football team’s regular season home games over the air and on Channel 22 for DISH Network and DirecTV customers. KSKN is also distributed on most cable systems in the area, including Comcast in Spokane and Spectrum in North Idaho.
