Notre Dame football games limiting fan capacity at 20 percent
By Scott Rogust
Notre Dame will allow a limited amount of fans at home games this season
Once the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced that they would not play college football in the fall due to the coronavirus pandemic, there was concern surrounding the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, an independent college. But, Notre Dame reached an agreement to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference this year. Days after the Miami Hurricanes announced their protocol for attendance this season, Notre Dame announced their rules for fan capacity.
On Monday, the university announced that Notre Dame Stadium will limit their fan capacity at 20-percent or less, with priority of seats going to students. Notre Dame stadium normally holds 80,795 fans at maximum capacity, which means the new limit will be at 16,159.
The crowds at Notre Dame football games will look radically different this year with reduced seating available
Once the deadline for student ticket purchases has passed, the remaining seats will go to Notre Dame faculty and staff. St. Joseph County health officials suggested that Notre Dame limit ticket sales to those in the community and prohibit fans outside the campus from attending. The only exception to the rule is parents and family members of the Fighting Irish football team.
Notre Dame also revealed that there will be no tailgating in the parking lot this season. All fans entering the stadium are required to wear a face mask and follow social distancing guidelines. Tickets will be mobile-only this season.
The protocols at Notre Dame are vastly different compared to Miami’s. On Friday, the Hurricanes announced that no students will be allowed to attend home games at Hard Rock Stadium, stemming from an uptick in new COVID-19 cases on campus. Additionally, no alcohol will be sold at the stadium to ensure that social distancing is practiced.
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We will get to see Notre Dame’s COVID-19 attendance protocol in action on Sept. 12, when the Fighting Irish face the Duke Blue Devils in their season-opener.