LEXINGTON, Ky. – In preparation for the return of Kentucky Football, UK Athletics has received reduced capacity guidelines for this season and has designed a distanced seating plan to host fans at Kroger Field in the healthiest manner possible. The plan is focused on the recommended health and safety protocols for the well-being of all student-athletes, fans and staff. At this point, the anticipated attendance for the 2020 season at Kroger Field is up to 20 percent of normal stadium capacity. All plans are subject to change based on evolving information as well as local, state and national public health developments. The 2020 UK football season will consist of a 10-game, SEC-only schedule with Kentucky hosting Ole Miss (Oct. 3), Mississippi State (Oct. 10), Georgia (Oct. 24), Vanderbilt (Nov. 14) and South Carolina (Dec. 5) at Kroger Field this year. GAMEDAY CHANGES UK Athletics has taken advice from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and has developed a plan that includes a number of new measures to promote a healthy gameday experience at Kroger Field. These measures include, but are not limited to:
Enhanced cleaning and sanitization procedures throughout the stadium prior to and during all events
Mobile ticketing and parking passes to reduce contact between staff and fans
Requiring face coverings for all fans at all times, with the exception of when fans are sitting in their seats while eating or drinking
Suggesting that fans to enter and exit at specified gates
Requiring fans to keep the proper physical distance
Providing signage in common areas to assist with physical distancing
Hand sanitization and washing stations located throughout the stadium
Increased physical spacing while using elevators by reducing capacity of each elevator to three persons
Concessions featuring cashless transactions
Parking lots to open three hours prior to kickoff
No gatherings in parking lots prior to the game
No tailgating, generators, trailers, tents, grills or cooking of any kind will be allowed in parking lots this season
Gates will open two hours prior to kickoff
Anyone around the stadium on game day will be expected to have a ticket or credential for that day’s game
No RVs will be permitted in the parking lots
The bringing of bags of any sort are strongly discouraged and only small, clear bags will be admitted
A complete list of the new gameday regulations will be available soon at the UK Athletics Gameday website. Fans with pre-existing health conditions, or those who are at a greater risk, should consider not attending on-campus sporting event during these unprecedented times. Even with these measures in place, UK Athletics can, in no way, guarantee that fans will not be exposed to COVID-19.
TICKET INFORMATION AND OPTIONS Later today, the UK Ticket Office and K Fund will communicate directly with season ticket holders to provide options regarding 2020 season tickets. 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. Available tickets will be physically distanced throughout Kroger Field, and accounts will be limited to purchasing one block of seats per game, most in groups of two (2) or four (4). This will help to maximize attendance opportunities for a greater number of season ticket accounts. UK Athletics hopes to accommodate as many ticket accounts as possible, though there is no guarantee that every season ticket holder will be able to purchase tickets due to the limited capacity. Priority single-game tickets will be priced to include parking this fall. All fans will receive their tickets and parking passes via mobile delivery and must scan them on a mobile device for entry at Kroger Field.
Suite and Lexus Loge seating will remain as a season ticket, and those account holders will be contacted directly by the K Fund Office to confirm their intentions for the 2020 season. Suites will be limited to a maximum of 10 persons or 20 percent, whichever is greater.
Season ticket holders who choose to not attend games this season will be presented with donation, credit and refund options, including the opportunity to convert all or a portion of their season ticket investment to a charitable gift in support of UK Athletics and the new Ev’ry Wildcat Fund. This new fund will be used to sustain the mission of UK Athletics, serving our student-athletes, during these unprecedented times. Gifts will directly assist in supporting scholarships for more than 500 UK student-athletes.
Current season ticket holders will receive an email later today with further details about priority single-game tickets as well as options that are now available for previous payments. Ticket holders are encouraged to regularly monitor their email for additional updates leading up to the home opener.
All current season ticket holders will have the ability to renew their original seat locations and parking for the 2021 season, regardless of their choice in attending games this fall.
Details about how Kroger Field capacity adjustments will affect student ticketing, including the seating format, number of available tickets, and sales process will be communicated once those plans are finalized. All student tickets will be sold on a single-game basis for the 2020 season.
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