OXFORD, Miss. — The University of Mississippi is scheduled to kick-off its 2020 football season next month, and the school announced its football attendance plan on Monday.
The University of Mississippi said today home football games will be at 25% capacity in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to begin the upcoming season. The school’s attendance plan is based on guidelines from the state and the SEC in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Officials at the University of Mississippi said some of the key components include face-covering requirements throughout the stadium, social distancing between households, and no tailgating on campus.
“We appreciate the diligence of our state and conference leadership in addressing these difficult decisions, and under their guidelines, our staff have developed a thoughtful plan to begin the season,” said Keith Carter, University of Mississippi Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics, in a statement. “We ask (our University of Mississippi) family for their cooperation and understanding as we adapt to the changes necessary in order to hold athletics events. While we’re all disappointed that we cannot enjoy The Grove this year, we look forward to providing a safe environment for as many fans as permitted at Vaught-Hemingway.”
This year, the University of Mississippi will host five home games starting Sept 26 against the University of Florida. The press release states, with the revised schedule of games, home tickets will be available on a single-game basis and sold in monthly selection waves.
In each wave, fans will be able to choose from the next month’s home games and pick their preferred stadium section, which will each be sold at 25% capacity. The University of Mississippi Athletics will determine the reserved seats for each ticket-holder by socially distancing accounts within each section.
With the ticket selection process on a month-to-month basis, it allows for the potential of capacity adjustments later in the season if determined by the state. Season ticket holders will receive an email with all ticket related information on Sept. 2.
“These circumstances required unconventional thinking, and we worked hard to develop a fair process that honors existing priorities,” Carter said. “We want to welcome as many fans as possible, and our hope is that more opportunities emerge over the course of the season. In order for that to happen, we all need to do our part and follow safety guidelines both at games and in our daily lives.”
