Carolina Panthers will have fans at home games. Here’s everything you need to know
North Carolina governor Roy Cooper announced Tuesday that he will allow a capacity of 7%, starting Friday, Oct. 2, for large venues with a seating capacity of more than 10,000.
Based on that allowance, the Panthers would be able to have about 5,240 fans in attendance for their second home game of the season Oct. 4 vs. the Arizona Cardinals.. The stadium seats 74,867 people.
“We are excited to welcome some fans back to Bank of America Stadium beginning Oct. 4, and we thank the state of North Carolina, the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County for partnering with us in these efforts,” a team spokesperson said. “We have worked for months to develop and implement a responsible and comprehensive plan for the return of fans and we are confident that it will ensure that the game day experience is enjoyable and as safe as possible.
“We will continue to follow guidelines provided by the CDC, local and state government as well as the National Football League, and will be prepared to adjust our policies as necessary.”
The exact number of fans that Mecklenburg County and the Panthers have agreed on has not yet been officially announced. The team anticipates that over the course of the season they will be allowed to increase the number in attendance and the areas of the stadium available for seating.
“We have been in communication with the Panthers regarding their plans once the Governor’s Order allows some level of spectators in the stadium,” Mecklenburg County said in a statement. “We continue to work with them to refine their plans as they move forward with spectators to assure our community is as safe as possible and will be communicating with them about the specific numbers they anticipate for the next home game.”
How do the Panthers pick which fans can go to games?
In July, PSL owners were given the option of opting out of their ticket plans this season, while maintaining their PSL ownership for future years. More than 50% percent of owners took that approach.
Those who decided to keep their season tickets for this year were contacted Tuesday and they will have the opportunity to attend two home games this year with the option of choosing between three sets of games — Chicago Bears (10/18) and New Orleans Saints (1/3), Atlanta Falcons (10/29) and Denver Broncos (12/13) or Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11/15) and Detroit Lions (11/22) — with tickets to the Oct. 4 game available as an additional option.
Fans will sit in the same seats for both games with available inventory currently in the 100 and 200 level. Tickets will be selected in order of tenure, with those who have had their PSLs the longest getting first choice of seats.
Tickets will be distributed in “pods” to support physical distancing with pods of 2-5 people (the exact number determined by the number of tickets each PSL owner has) located in every other row with at least two seats between groups.
The expectation is that fans will be attending games with family members or close friends. The seats selected will only be for the 2020 season and the tarps that were on the first eight rows of the stadium for Week 1 will remain in place.
Single-game tickets are available for each home game this season. For now, the only available seats are located in the 100 and 200 levels. Fans are required to transfer tickets only to family and friends, but if tickets are posted through a resale site, they must be sold as a pod, not in separate pieces. For example, a PSL owner who has four tickets cannot sell the tickets as two sets of two.
PSL owners will receive more information Wednesday on the online seat selection process that is scheduled to begin Thursday. They will be under no obligation to purchase tickets with ticket holders still being given the option to carry over payments from this year to 2021.
Earlier Tuesday, the Atlanta Falcons announced they would begin hosting a limited number of fans starting with their Week 5 matchup with the Panthers scheduled for Oct. 11. Carolina will be playing its first three games without any fans in attendance, including this weekend’s game in Los Angeles at the new SoFi Stadium.
“I like the fans in the building. I like going out amongst the fans sometimes as people probably have seen me out there sometimes.They are an undeniable edge for us. It’s hard not to have fans in the building,” Panthers owner David Tepper said this month. “It’s especially going to be hard not to have fans in the building if all our division rivals have fans in their buildings. We hope that we will have and not have that competitive disadvantage.”
What COVID-19 precautions are there at Bank of America Stadium?
The Panthers have planned for and proposed safe ways to have fans in the stadium — from food service enhancements to utilizing the suites in the stadium in unique ways — even if the state remained in Phase 2.
“We have worked tirelessly since March to develop and implement a responsible, comprehensive plan to ensure that your game day experience is enjoyable and as safe as possible,” the team wrote in a letter to fans prior to the start of the season.
The team has put in place a variety of measures to try and make the stadium as safe as possible. The Panthers have tested and planned new ways to have fans enter and move around safely with concourses split into two lanes going opposite directions with fans always asked to stay on the right side. Arrows have been placed on the floor indicating which direction to walk in.
Each section will have a designated entry gate that is listed on mobile tickets.
All fans will be required to wear face coverings, and hand sanitizer will be available throughout the stadium. Other changes to the gameday experience include the Panthers implementing a cashless approach and the team offering fans the option of pre-ordering concessions by 5 p.m. two days before the game, per the team’s website.
A food-and-beverage option for $15, with an average savings of $20, can be ordered in advance, which includes a rotating entrée menu on a game-to-game basis, chips, candy, water and a fountain soda. The order will be redeemed by using the barcode on mobile tickets and can be picked up by the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Limited concessions will also be available for purchase in the stadium. Alcohol, per NC state regulations, will be available for purchase in the stadium, but not for pre-order. Fans will only be allowed to eat and drink in their seats.
“During this season, it’s incredibly important to be adaptable. Speed and quality of service are key, and we’ve adapted by working with the Panthers to introduce initiatives like a pre-paid food and beverage option,” Travis Tucker, Levy Regional Director of Operations, said. “By selecting the option when purchasing tickets, fans can walk up a concession stand, scan their ticket, and grab their order without having to take out a wallet or stand in line. The initial response has been very positive and we will continue to look for innovative ways to make food and beverage, easy, simple, and enjoyable for fans.”
The Panthers team store officially re-opens Saturday and will only be open for ticket holders Sunday. Both Charlotte FC and Panthers gear will be available for sale.
The team also worked with Honeywell to create customized PPE (personal protective equipment) packs for fans and are deploying solutions to monitor air quality in the stadium, in addition to having XENEX disinfection robots. The team used computer models and simulations to show how social distancing would be possible.
The NFL is allowing franchises to determine the number of fans they will have in the stands on a team-by-team basis based on local and state guidelines. Some teams, including the Giants and Jets, have decided that there will be no fans for the entire season, while the Dolphins, Colts, Browns, Cowboys, Chiefs and Jaguars have all hosted fans this year.
“I don’t love all the red ink that we’re going to see this year, but I hate more not seeing the fans in the building. I have other means, OK, of income. I do have other businesses,” Tepper said. “I’m using this for the fans and for football.”
This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 2:25 PM.
