As the coronavirus pandemic is ongoing, college football programs around the country are having to come up with contingency plans in order to accommodate fans in the stands.
The governor of Texas announced last week that 50 percent of capacity will be allowed at athletic venues across their state. Iowa State has announced a plan already in how many fans will be allowed in stands.
Oklahoma has lagged—just like they have during this whole process—in regards to announcing or speaking on anything official when it comes to the 2020 college football season. The Sooners are in wait-and-see mode, meaning they can see what others are doing and adjust accordingly to their plans.
Athletic director Joe Castiglione had his weekly radio call with play-by-play voice Toby Rowland on SportsTalk 1400 in Oklahoma. Here is his quote in its entirety on who would get tickets, how they plan to accommodate CDC guidelines and how many fans would be allowed at Oklahoma games in the fall.
“We have actually a system in place that has been utilized for years and years and years. And it works well,” Castiglione said to Rowland. “It works well. As you know, we have a neutral site game in Dallas, Texas, that has a system we put in place that our fans are used to, and it’s based on longevity association with the program both as season ticket holders and donors. That is one way.
“By the way, we use that system for bowl games, for Final Fours—any other major events, games on the road when ticket demand is very high. Our fans know that, they understand it, they’re used to it, but that doesn’t mean every one of them is going to be interested in coming to the game. We already know that are going to be some that are very sensitive about it until there are more medical advancements, vaccinations, therapeutic treatments, etc. The other part that is a little more difficult is deciding how many.
“We can create the system of ticket allocation, but we’re not really sure who will deem the practice of how many we can accommodate the one we choose. We have these models that can replicate what social distancing could look like in a stadium, should we have to practice it, but I’m not sure who’s the one that’s gonna say, ‘All right, we can only have this percentage of capacity or that percentage of capacity.’
“… But it’s still almost three months away, Not so much three months away from us having to put a plan in place, but three months away from the games themselves occurring. So we’re hoping that number will continue to grow—meaning the number we can accommodate.”
Oklahoma is still set to begin the 2020 season on Sept. 5 against Missouri State at home.
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