Louisville football will not play spring game in 2019

The University of Louisville will not play a spring football game in 2019, according to multiple media reports Tuesday.

While the Cardinals will be breaking from tradition under first-year head coach Scott Satterfield by not playing an official spring practice-ending game, Louisville will provide at least one opportunity for fans to watch the team in action.

A report in the Courier Journal said that at least one of Louisville’s 15 spring practice sessions will be open to the public.

The Cardinals open spring practice on Feb. 11 and finish on March 7.

Louisville spring football games typically attract good crowds, but the numbers have been shrinking in recent years.

Attendance last year for Bobby Petrino’s final spring game as head coach was reported as 17,200. The crowd the year before was 14,000.

From 2014-16, Louisville attracted crowds reported by the Courier Journal as 27,500, 23,187 and 16,221.

Louisville named Satterfield its new head coach on Dec. 4. Satterfield, who came to U of L from Appalachian State, replaced Petrino after Louisville finished 2-10 in 2018.