SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference announced on Tuesday a series of changes to be made in 2016-2017 that will limit the number of late kickoffs during the football season, as well as institute a fine policy for court and field storming by fans, and the creation of esports competitions for Pac-12 students.

The changes were authorized by the Pac-12 CEO group, which is made up of the presidents and chancellors of Pac-12 universities, during the group’s annual board meeting.

Below find more details about the upcoming changes released by the Pac-12 Conference on Tuesday.

PRESS RELEASE FROM PAC-12:

Night Football Games
The presidents and chancellors approved a recommendation from the Pac-12 Council to modify the Conference’s TV agreements with ESPN and FOX Sports and reduce the number of Pac-12 Networks Saturday night football games (start time of 7 p.m. or later).  Under the modification, a Pac-12 Network game can now start either at 2:30 p.m. or 6 p.m. local and overlap with an ESPN or FOX exclusive TV window. This change is expected to reduce the number of Pac-12 Networks night games by as many as four contests.

“The Pac-12 has some of the most loyal fans in college athletics and we appreciate our television partners working with us on this important issue for fans,” said Rob Mullens, University of Oregon athletic director. “The increased exposure and revenue from our contracts with ESPN and FOX Sports have been instrumental to our success, but we continue to work hard to minimize as much as possible the negative impact late start times have on our fans who travel great distances to see our teams in person.”

Court and Field Storming
The presidents and chancellors also approved a recommendation from the Pac-12 Council to add an institutional fine schedule to the Conference court and field storming policy. Starting in the 2016-17 academic year, fines will be applied to institutions as follows: $25,000 for first offense, $50,000 for a second offense, and $100,000 for a third offense.

“The Pac-12 Council carefully considered this policy and its impact on our fans who loyally support our teams,” said Mike Williams, Director of Athletics at the University of California, Berkeley. “This enhanced policy underscores the importance our universities place on the safety and welfare of our student-athletes, officials and fans, and will allow us to educate staffs and fans on procedures going forward.”

Pac-12 Networks & eSports
Finally, following an internal review of the growing interest amongst Pac-12 students in competitive video gaming, the presidents and chancellors approved Pac-12 Networks to commence eSports competitions with Pac-12 universities this upcoming year. Teams from campuses will participate based on a specific game, and the competitions will include head-to-head matchups in studios as well as a tournament in conjunction with a Pac-12 championship event. The game titles and event formats are still to be determined, but will be announced in the coming months.

Intercollegiate competition in egaming is in its initial stages, but Pac-12 universities are increasingly involved through passionate student groups competing in competitions with popular games. eSports is also closely tied to academic departments at Pac-12 universities such as computer science, visual and cinematic arts, engineering and others.

“eSports is a natural fit for many of our universities located in the technology and media hubs of the country,” said Scott. “Pac-12 Networks’ commitment to innovation as well as its natural tie to our universities and established media platform make it the perfect organization to develop the framework for eSports intercollegiate competition.”