Tag: capacity

Ranking the toughest road environments to play in after the Big Ten’s new additions

Ranking the 18 Big Ten stadiums by gameday atmosphere:

Welcome to a new era of college football, and a new era in the Big Ten. Nowadays when we go through the conference for recruiting rankings or power rankings there are 18 programs to address, not 14.

Eventually, that number will grow again and it will take days to make it to the end. But 18 is still manageable, especially when there is a material change in the ranking.

That’s the case here with the best stadium gameday environments in the conference. USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington all bring strong football teams to the mix, but where are their home venues ranked amongst the rest of the Big Ten?

A necessary note: I considered ranking Northwestern’s Ryan Field No. 1 on this list solely due to the grass length and high school atmosphere. But I thought better. So here is every Big Ten home venue ranked by gameday atmosphere:

Report: Proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test required to enter Superdome

Report: New Orleans will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter the Superdome, which is cleared for full capacity:

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The persistent COVID-19 pandemic has forced municipalities and governments across the country to adopt continued health and safety protocols, and now New Orleans is joining them. The Times-Picayune | Advocate reported Thursday that Mayor LaToya Cantrell plans to announce visitors to many indoors facilities — including restaurants, bars, and the Caesars Superdome — will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test result before allowed entrance. Masks are also still expected to be required indoors.

However, Saints games will be allowed to host full-capacity crowds. That’s good news for one of the NFL’s most diehard fanbases, which was limited to a fraction of their number in the stands last season. But if fans want to attend, they’ll either need to get vaccinated or take precautions before buying tickets.

It’s part of a trend growing across the league; the Baltimore Ravens will require masks for guests visiting their M&T Bank Stadium, starting this weekend with the Saints flying in to kick off their preseason on Aug. 14. New Orleans’ first preseason home game is scheduled for Aug. 23, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, while their regular season home opener is on Sept. 12 versus the Green Bay Packers.

This is a developing story, so check back for updates.

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Alabama plans to have full-capacity in Bryant-Denny Stadium for 2021 CFB season

Alabama football’s home, Bryant-Denny Stadium, may be open for full-capacity in the 2021 season. This is a big change from 2020’s 20% limit.

The 2020 college football season saw games being canceled, schedules altered and stadiums at low capacity, some didn’t allow any fans. Now, the Crimson Tide may be playing home games inside of a sold out, maximum-capacity Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Alabama’s home stadium holds up to 100,077 attendees, but due to the ongoing pandemic, only 20% of the stadium’s capacity was allowed in.

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne tweeted, “We are moving forward with plans to have a full stadium in the fall and will monitor medical guidelines as we have all along. #RollTide”

His tweet follows an announcement by the University of Alabama that states the school will look to hold full-capacity, in-person classes, moving away from the hybrid and online methods.

There’s no indication that these plans are set in stone, and with the college football season still months away, a shift in numbers regarding the pandemic, which are currently trending downward, could cause Byrne to walk back this statement.

Players, fans and coaches all likely miss the energy a packed stadium brings. Now, there’s a chance they can all hope for a return to some sense of normalcy.

BREAKING: Florida Gators announce attendance policies for 2020 fall football

The University of Florida issued a press release on Thursday outlining its attendance policies for the 2020 fall SEC football season.

The University of Florida issued a press release on Thursday outlining its attendance policies for the 2020 fall football season at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Included in the announcement is the banning of tailgating on campus as well as plans for reduced fan capacity ahead of the Gators’ home opener against South Carolina scheduled for Oct. 3.

The press release included the following.

To comply with physical distancing requirements, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium will host approximately 20 percent of its listed capacity of 88,548 in the bowl and club levels, putting the capacity right at 17,000.

In accordance with campus guidelines, face coverings (over the nose and mouth) will be required for all fans throughout the entire game. This includes when fans are entering and exiting the stadium. Fans may only remove face coverings while eating or drinking. Failure to comply with this important health guideline could result in loss of ticket privileges.

Additionally, the following activities will not be permitted.

  • Tailgating will not be permitted on the UF campus
  • Gator Walk will not occur in 2020
  • Gator Walk Village will not be set up for 2020
  • No Gators Fan Fest
  • No Spirit teams on the sidelines

Athletics Director Scott Stricklin also offered the following comment in the release.

“As we have throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we worked hand in hand with UF Health, the SEC and its Medical Guidance Task Force, and campus officials to create the safest environment possible for the student-athletes, staff and fans.”

Read the full press release for more details on mobile ticketing, parking and other aspects of the fan experience.

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Austin health official thinks 25,000 fans at DKR is ‘too much’

According to a report from KXAN in Austin, Dr Mark Escott of the Travis County Health Authority believes it is too much.

The Texas Longhorns are preparing for the upcoming season and athletic director Chris Del Conte has stated there will be fans in attendance. In an email to season season ticket holders, Del Conte proclaimed they were ready to “rock n’ roll.” The plan around most major colleges participating in the fall season falls around 25 percent capacity. At Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium that means 25,000 screaming fanatics.

However, not everyone agrees with the sentiment of having that many fans in the stands. Recently KXAN, a NBC affiliate in Austin, had an interview with interim Austin-Travis County Health Dr. Mark Escott. Escott was not a fan of moving forward with 25 percent or 25,000 fans at DKR.

He spoke with local schools about their upcoming football season and even wants to start slow with them.

Let’s see if we can play, lets see if we can have two healthy teams play one another and then let’s talk about introducing parents of the athletes into the stands and again move gradually towards more people as we can prove success.”

When discussing fans at the stadium, Escott wants UT to limit the number even beyond the 25 percent being announced across the remaining FBS schools.

Packing 25,000 people in, even in a 100,000 seat stadium, introduces a lot of risk, not only to the people who are there but to the community as well,

While you can understand the sentiment behind the doctors thoughts, it really doesn’t hold much weight. The city of Austin holds zero authority over the University of Texas.