‘A bridge that we’re building as we go.’ UK reveals plans for football attendance.
Attendance limited to about 12,000 in Kroger Field, and 10 in each private suite.
No tailgating and no RVs in parking lots.
Fans must observe social distancing guidelines.
Masks will be required.
Cashless transactions only at concession stands.
Sanitization and washing stations for hands will be set up.
Gates will open two hours prior to kickoff for each game as opposed to three hours for some games in the past.
That’s how Kentucky football home games will look in the 2020 season, Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart said Thursday.
Speaking to a meeting of the UK Board of Trustees athletics committee, Barnhart also said no fans will be allowed to attend volleyball and soccer games.
These decisions were made after consultation with the NCAA, the Southeastern Conference’s medical task force, UK’s center for infectious disease control and other medical officials, Barnhart said.
When a trustee asked how it will be determined which fans will be selected for football attendance, Barnhart mentioned a priority list based on how long people have bought season tickets, how many tickets have been bought each season and contributions made to UK Athletics.
UK has heard from fans who expressed uneasiness about attending football games this season, Barnhart said. Options to have purchases of tickets transferred to a 2021 season or refunds will be available, he said.
Later Thursday, the UK Ticket Office and K Fund planned to communicate directly with season ticket holders to provide options regarding 2020 season tickets, UK said in a news release. Due to the significant reduction in ticket inventory, season tickets will not be issued for this fall, and all prior seat locations will be deferred to the 2021 season.
Current season ticket holders who wish to attend games during the 2020 season will have the opportunity to purchase priority single-game tickets through an online selection process. Sales will begin next week, and K Fund priority ranking will determine the order for online ticket selections, UK said.
When a trustee asked about any remaining possibility of the season being canceled, Barnhart said, “Our goal will remain the same. We’ll be pretty resolute to make sure our young people have a chance to play.”
Planning has been done in case of disruptions due to health concerns connected to the coronavirus pandemic, he said.
UK’s 12,000-per-game limit represents about 20 percent of the regular Kroger Field occupancy of approximately 61,000.
UK’s plan is pending final approval from the state government, Barnhart said.
Western Kentucky is set to visit Louisville on Saturday night under a plan previously signed off on by Gov. Andy Beshear. Kentucky opens its 2020 season Sept. 26 at Auburn. Its first home game is Oct. 3 vs. Mississippi.
Kentucky last season averaged 53,127 fans at each of its eight home games. Only one game, its Sept. 14 loss to Florida, was a sellout (it was above occupancy, totaling 63,076)
Kroger Field’s normal occupancy is lower than the football stadiums at every other Southeastern Conference school except the one at Vanderbilt, which can accommodate a maximum of 40,550 fans. Kentucky’s home field is most comparable to those at Mississippi (64,038), Missouri (62,621) and Mississippi State (61,337); all of those schools previously announced 2020 maximum occupancy rates that were at 25 percent normal capacity, allowing them to host about 15,000 fans each in 2020.
Only one other SEC school, Vanderbilt, has not announced attendance plans for the 2020 season.
What about basketball?
Men’s basketball was not mentioned during the 30-minute meeting Thursday.
After the meeting, Executive Associate Athletics Director Jason Schlafer said that there was the luxury of “a little bit of time” to plan how to deal with basketball.
“Our plan is to learn from these first few large public events: our football games,” Schlafer said. “Then we’ll look around the country at other sports teams (pro and college) and see how they’re handling (games).
“Obviously, indoor activity is a different animal.”
Fans should not jump to the conclusion that 20 percent of capacity is the target for UK home basketball games. In Rupp Arena (capacity 23,545), that would be about 4,700.
“If we’ve learned one thing during this coronavirus, it’s that the information changes rapidly,” Schlafer said.
Barnhart made a similar comment at the beginning of his update on UK athletics.
“We just continue to walk across a bridge that we’re building as we go,” he said. “Our world is just trying to get to the starting line. In some respects, it’s changed every day.”
2020 UK football schedule
Home games in all capital letters. Kickoff times and TV details to be announced later.
Sept. 26: At Auburn, Noon (SEC Network)
Oct. 3: MISSISSIPPI, 4 p.m. (SEC Network)
Oct. 10: MISSISSIPPI STATE
Oct. 17: At Tennessee
Oct. 24: GEORGIA
Oct. 31: At Missouri, Noon (SEC Network)
Nov. 14: VANDERBILT
Nov. 21: At Alabama
Nov. 28: At Florida
Dec. 5: SOUTH CAROLINA
Herald-Leader staff writer Josh Moore contributed to this article.
