Fans won’t be admitted into Heinz Field due to ongoing coronavirus pandemic
The 2020 NFL season will be one like no other, due to the coronavirus pandemic still spreading across the United States. The league has an aggressive testing protocol to determine who can enter their team’s facility and participate in training camp. But when it comes to allowing fans in attendance for regular season games, teams have been conferring with local government and public health officials.
On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced that no fans will be allowed at Heinz Field for at least their first two home games of the season. The announcement came mere minutes after the in-state Philadelphia Eagles announced they wouldn’t permit fans to attend games at Lincoln Financial Field until further notice.
“Over the last several months we have been communicating with public health officials and the NFL on plans for fans to safely attend games this season,” the team said, via ProFootballTalk. “We obviously know and greatly appreciate the dedication of our fans and your strong desire to attend games this season. Unfortunately, given the current conditions and state orders, we will not be able to welcome fans to Heinz Field at this time, and so we have determined that we will not be hosting fans for the first two regular season home games.”
Steelers will not have fans at Heinz Field for at least the first two games this season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 27, 2020
Steelers latest team not to have fans in-stadium
With this news, the seats in Heinz Field will be empty during the teams Week 2 and 3 home games against the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans, respectively. The next scheduled contest comes in Week 5 against the Eagles, but it’s unknown if the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will approve of allowing fans.
The Steelers now join a laundry list of teams that won’t sell tickets for at least their first home game of the season. However, there are a handful of teams who will allow a limited capacity of fans in their stadiums.
The defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs will fill 20-percent of Arrowhead Stadium for games this season. The Miami Dolphins revealed they will allow a maximum of 13,000 fans inside Hard Rock Stadium for their home opener against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 20. The Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars are planning on limiting their attendance to 25-percent capacity. The Dallas Cowboys will have fans after receiving approval by state Governor Greg Abbott, but the specific number is still to be determined.
With the regular season rapidly approaching, local government officials deemed having fans at Steelers games wasn’t safe. The organization has complied, and will keep their eyes peeled on October.