Security protocol changes are coming to Colorado Springs Switchbacks games following a pair of altercations involving fans and visiting teams this summer.

Security personnel in folding chairs will be posted along the west side inside Weidner Field, particularly behind the benches and player warmup areas, to provide a buffer between spectators and players and allow for quick response time should a situation escalate.

“It’s always incumbent upon us anytime we see two incidents like that happen to really just look at our security procedures,” club president Brad Estes said.

“Hopefully the presence of security will deter any further behavior along those lines.”  

In Colorado Springs’ June 24 match against San Antonio FC, security and Switchbacks staff broke up a verbal altercation between fans and visiting coaches in the immediate aftermath of the contest. 

On Aug. 15, play was stopped in the second half of the match after a Birmingham Legion FC player hopped over the sideboards to confront a fan. Shortly after the incident, the Switchbacks PA announcer reiterated the club’s policy on the use of racial slurs.

“We have a fan code of conduct on the website, but I think in general it’s just what you learned in kindergarten. It’s just don’t say things that are inappropriate,” Estes said. “We have fans that want to talk about the game, they want to razz the other players. I’ve heard them talk about their socks being not the same height and making fun of them because they didn’t start the game and they’re benchwarmers and all those things are fun and part of the game. But any time you get into race or sexual orientation or gender-type issues, it’s just we can’t say those types of things.” 

Estes said the club investigates each matter, and while he declined to say whether those involved faced disciplinary action stemming from either incident, he spoke to the consequences of what can happen if a fan is caught violating the code of conduct.

“Anytime there’s a violation of the code of conduct we’ll do an investigation and it’s in conjunction with the league,” he said. “So the league will have certain rules, we will have certain rules and so it just really depends on what the violation is. It can end up being a lifetime ban. It can be a six- or eight-game suspension provided that the offender goes through the USL safeguarding protocols.”