Raleigh Convention Center hosting volleyball tournament in first event during pandemic

Nearly 2,300 coaches and athletes of 160 teams from seven states and Washington, D.C., as well as officials, will compete in a two-day MAPL Raleigh tournament. The 13th annual tournament of the Mid-Atlantic Power League is sponsored by the Triangle Volleyball Club, which will host part of the tournament at its facility.

"Everybody is starved for youth sports – the whole atmosphere," club president Sherry Fadool said.

"It will be 16 days short of a year since we last shut down, not that I’m counting," said Kerry Painter, general manager of the convention center. "That’s a long time not to have a lively audience and noise and voices in the building.”

Crews were setting up the courts on Thursday, but pandemic restrictions mean fewer, more distanced courts. Large dividing walls will split a convention center room into three sections, each with its own ventilation system.

Everyone who comes in the building will have their temperature checked and must pass a health screening.

All players, coaches and officials will have to wear masks during matches, and teams will arrive in waves, with about 600 athletes in the building at a given time.

"There’s lot of buffers and staggering and sanitizing," Fadool said. "Other than that, it’s going to be kids playing a game that they love at a very competitive level."

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The tournament was organized under current state restrictions, which prohibit spectators at indoor youth sports. But Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that he is easing some restrictions, starting Friday, to allow 30 percent capacity at indoor venues, up to 250 people.

But Painter said no spectators will be allowed at the tournament because there's not enough time to adjust the current plan and staffing.

"We are still working on a grid to tell us what we really truly can do," Painter said. "We feel good about our safety protocols, our cleaning protocols. The switch here is really about capacities."

Fadool said she wishes some family members could attend.

"'Let them play' is our No. 1 philosophy, and 'Let them watch' has to always be second because these kids need engagement and activity," she said. "I think, honestly, they want that energy that comes with spectators. I think everybody would really want that. I know the parents want it desperately."

Painter, who also oversees Raleigh’s performing arts complexes, said she expects concerts at Red Hat Amphitheater and the Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek to resume in late summer or the fall. Outdoor venues can seat up to 30 percent of capacity under the relaxed restrictions.

“We’re far more optimistic about the theater," she said of the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

The North Carolina Symphony and Carolina Ballet could resume performances there with 250 people in attendance as soon as April, Painter said.

"We can still make people feel good about coming because you could have 60 seats between you and the next family if you want to," she said.

A news release from VisitRaleigh states that the MAPL Raleigh tournament is projected to generate more than $2 million in economic impact to Wake County. Players, coaches, and tournament officials are expected to use 14 hotels in the area.

As the convention center struggles to book work conventions, sports are helping to bring foot traffic downtown.

“We want to do this for Raleigh," Fadool said.