Immediate family to be allowed at Saturday’s Charlotte 49ers-Georgia State game
The Charlotte 49ers’ announcement Thursday that they would allow 350 members of immediate family of players and staff to Saturday’s home opener against Georgia State came as welcome news.
“Grateful,” said Dan Reynolds, father of 49ers junior quarterback Chris Reynolds.
The move, in accordance with state and local health guidelines, comes after Charlotte originally announced earlier this month that no fans would be allowed at the game due to the coronavirus. Instead, Charlotte will now provide 250 tickets to 49ers families and 100 to Georgia State families.
Face masks will be required, and social distancing protocols must also be followed.
The 49ers have not yet announced how they will handle Tuesday’s announcement from Gov. Roy Cooper’s office that up to 7% of capacity in outdoor venues of at least 10,000 will be allowed, beginning Oct. 2. The 49ers’ next home game is Oct. 17 against Florida International. It would potentially allow 1,072 into the stadium for that game.
Charlotte played at Appalachian State in its season opener on Sept. 12, and Mountaineers parents of junior and senior players were allowed at the last minute to attend. The 49ers’ game last week at North Carolina was canceled when several Charlotte players went into contact tracing quarantine.
“This will be great to get in there,” said Dan Reynolds, who traveled to Boone for the App State game in the family’s recreational vehicle, hoping to be allowed into Kidd Brewer Stadium (he and his wife Beth weren’t). “But it’s better when the fans, the alumni and the donors are also there, so we can cheer and yell with them, too.”
Steve DeLuca, father of 49ers senior safety Ben DeLuca, said allowing family to attend games is simple common sense.
“This was all subject to politics,” Steve DeLuca said. “I was in Walmart the other day and there was a (bunch) of people in there, close together. And you’re saying we can’t put a few hundred people in a big stadium, staying far apart with masks on?
“I’m so glad it’s over. It’s going to be a relief to be able to watch our kids and be present for them. There’s always a safety factor in playing this game. Whether on the road or at home, you always want to know that your child is safe. We were going to be denied that. And we were (denied it) at App State.
“The careers of these kids have a shelf life. The government was denying us the ability to participate in a perishable product.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 12:05 PM.