(Valhalla, NY) - Westchester Community College sports fans who want to follow their teams, whether or not they can attend home games, have a whole new way to do it as the Westchester Vikings Sports Network - powered by Facebook Live - will broadcast for the first time on Saturday, Nov. 6 as the Viking Men's and Women's Basketball teams will tip-off their 2021-2022 seasons at the Johnny Jones Memorial Tip-off Tournament. Both the women's game at 1:00 p.m., and the men's game at 3:30 p.m., will be streamed, free of charge to all Vikings fans who wish to cheer on our teams.

Accessing the Westchester Vikings Sports Network is simple: Using a Facebook profile, simply search for Westchester Vikings Sports Network, and follow the page. Streaming will begin shortly before the opening tip-off for each game.

While the exact number of games that will be live-streamed is not yet known, Director of Athletics Michael Belfiore said that circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic and re-opening, as well as pandemic-related restrictions at Westchester CC home events, made the launch of a streaming network an important step for the 2021-2022 academic year.

"Even during a pandemic, and with COVID-19 restrictions in place, we enjoyed tremendous crowd support during the Fall season. With our basketball teams coming back in November, which typically draw large crowds, it became clear that we needed to act to allow fans who are simply unable to attend home games in person to still be able to cheer on our teams. Facebook Live provides a free and easy way to web-stream our home games, and provide our supporters with easy access to the service. For our supporters who are unable to make it to Viking Gymnasium, they can watch our teams play from any device that can access Facebook. I'm happy we can offer this service to our community. I certainly hope our fans come to see our teams play in-person, but we're very happy to offer a convenient alternative." Belfiore said.

A full schedule of games that will be live-streamed is being worked on, and plans are also in the works to expand the streaming service into other Viking Sports as the year moves along.

Those seeking to attend Westchester CC Basketball games in person must provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination in order to gain entry into Viking Gymnasium, and there is a limit of 125 spectators per home game. In addition, masks must be worn at all times, and social distancing will be required.