Fans allowed to attend Florida football games with The Swamp opening at 20% capacity

By Adam Silverstein
September 3, 2020
Fans allowed to attend Florida football games with The Swamp opening at 20% capacity
Football

Image Credit: ESPN Images

Whether Ben Hill Griffin Stadium can again be one of the loudest college football venues in the nation with reduced capacity will be tested during the 2020 season as the Florida Gators announced Thursday that fans will indeed be allowed to attend home games. Though some stadiums across the country are prohibiting fans from watching games live, The Swamp will at least make a go of it.

Florida will permit Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to be filled at 20% capacity, meaning 17,000 fans will be allowed to attend games this fall with physical distancing requirements taken into account.

Fans that attend games will be required to wear face coverings at all times — including when entering and exiting the stadium — with the lone exception being when they are eating and drinking. Ticket privileges may be revoked if fans do not comply.

The Gators open on the road at Ole Miss on Sept. 26 but will host South Carolina in a home opener on Oct. 3. When they do, the football team will take the field without any spirit squads on the sidelines.

To ensure that attending Florida football games is as safe as possible this season, the Gators will not allow fans to tailgate. Inside the stadium, strict 6-foot physical distancing between groups will be mandated. There will also be “noticeable changes” to everything from ticketing (mobile) to concession stands. The Gator Walk will not be held before games.

“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,” athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement.

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