Panthers to have ‘reduced seating’ at games this fall, team tells PSL owners
The Panthers have informed PSL owners that there will be reduced seating at Bank of America Stadium this season and has given them the option to opt out of their 2020 season tickets. No PSL ownership will be affected by decisions for the upcoming season.
The news comes as teams around the NFL have had to adapt plans for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and questions about what the season will look like.
In an email Thursday morning, Personal Seat License owners were informed that they can now choose to not attend any home games this year and still maintain their ownership. If they have already paid for seats, they have the option to use it as a credit for the 2021 season or to receive a full refund in 30 business days.
The NFL will determine the number of fans in the stands on a team-by-team basis. While the Panthers did not share with PSL owners an expected number of fans at Bank of America Stadium, which seats just over 75,000, the team is planning for a variety of scenarios, anywhere from 20,000 fans to no fans at all, per a source with knowledge of the situation. A team spokesman said that there is currently no update on the number of fans that will be allowed.
The situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to change and the team will comply with Mecklenburg County and state regulations, in addition to those from the CDC and the NFL. North Carolina is expected to remain in Phase 2 until at least Aug. 7, which allows sporting events to occur, but with the mass gathering limit to 25 people outdoors.
PSL owners who wish to attend home games during the 2020 season will have the opportunity to choose from a pre-selected set of games. It is unlikely they will be sitting in their usual seats due to social distancing measures. Due to ticket holders only attending select games, the credit that is not used during the 2020 season will be transferred to 2021.
All fans will be required to wear face coverings. There will also be additional health screening protocols — a temperature check could be among them — physical distancing “amplified via stadium signage” and contactless/cashless transactions at shops and concession stands.
PSL owners have until Wednesday, July 22 to make their choice for the upcoming season.
Single-game tickets are no longer available due to the reduced capacity and those who have already purchased seats will be refunded via Ticketmaster. If tickets become available during the season, those fans will be the first contacted for purchasing seats.
Around the NFL, teams have been announcing plans for a reduced seating capacity this upcoming season. Some, like the Ravens, have announced an idea of the number of seats that could be available — fewer than 14,000 for Baltimore — while other teams have shared that fans will not be in attendance at training camp or preseason games, as the Dolphins did Thursday.
In March, Panthers owner David Tepper spoke on the possibility of having fans in the stands for NFL games this year.
“There should be some amount of fans in the stadiums,” Tepper said on CNBC. “Depending on what locale and where you are and what the local rules are. There could possibly be ... You won’t be having full stadiums, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fans in the stadium, either.”
Over the past few months, the Panthers have worked with PSL owners on individual payment plans due to unique circumstances related to COVID-19. Many PSL owners pay for season tickets on a monthly payment plan which the team extended into October last month.
The latest update to the stadium plans are just the next step in planning for a season that will be unlike any other with plenty of questions still to be addressed with training camp scheduled to fully begin in less than two weeks.
This story was originally published July 16, 2020 at 11:21 AM.
