Auburn University has announced how many fans they will allow into Jordan-Hare Stadium this season.
It has already been established that, if there does end up being a 2020 college football season, it’s going to look very different than what we’re used to. From social distancing, the requirement of face coverings and barriers between vendors, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly altered college football.
As for Auburn, the school, along with the 13 other teams in the SEC, has adopted the health and safety guidelines released by the conference this week. Part of those regulations was the decision to allow each individual institution to decide how many people they would allow in attendance for football games (in accordance with applicable state and local guidelines, policies and/or regulations.)
On Tuesday, Auburn announced exactly what its plan for attendance (at least for the season opener) would be per an official release from the University.
"Under the direction of state health officials, Jordan-Hare Stadium capacity will be reduced to approximately 20% to begin the 2020 football season.In an effort to contribute to the on-campus experience of our current students, all general seating tickets outside of controlled premium spaces and those designated for home and visiting team player and coach guests will be reserved for Auburn students for the home opener on Sept. 26 versus Kentucky. Ticket allocations for future games will be announced at a later date. As the season progresses, the seating plan and configuration may change as additional information related to COVID-19 becomes available."
Jordan-Hare stadium’s normal capacity is usually 87,451— 20 percent of which would be approximately 17,490. So while the stadium won’t be nearly as packed as it is usually, there still will be a solid amount of students in the crowd and the reduced number also helps the University maintain physical distancing protocols.
Along with the official release, Auburn Athletic Director Allen Greene released a statement regarding the new attendance rules.
"“We look forward to having Auburn students in attendance at our season opener and appreciate everyone’s flexibility and understanding as we adjust to this temporary reality of reduced capacity at Jordan-Hare Stadium,” Director of Athletics Allen Greene said. “All attendees will share a responsibility for health and safety. A zealous commitment to face coverings, physical distancing and personal hygiene will lead to the best outcome.”"
In accordance with CDC guidelines, all fans in attendance and stadium workers will be required to wear face coverings while the University announced that tailgating on campus will not be prohibited for the 2020 season.
It seems as the allotment of tickets could change on a weekly basis for the Tigers and Tigers Unlimited members will have the opportunity to indicate their interest in attending any future games if tickets become available. Also, ticket holders may opt-out of attending games in 2020.
As for the actual season, the SEC is one of three Power 5 conferences (joining the ACC and the Big 12) trying to have a fall football season. Earlier in the month, the SEC announced a 10-game, conference-only schedule for all teams. For Auburn, the season will begin with a matchup against SEC East foe Kentucky on September 26.