The Tennessee athletic department on Tuesday, announced an adjusted seating ticket plan for Neyland Stadium for the upcoming football season.Tennessee Athletics is hoping that this plan will only be needed for the 2020 season and be able to return to full capacity starting 2021.
For the Vols’ home-opener against Missouri on Oct. 3, gameday seating will be 25 percent of Neyland Stadium’s capacity. In other words, a little over 25,000 fans will be allowed into Neyland for the game. Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer expressed his sadness for the fans that will not be able to come to Neyland this fall.
“I can’t overstate how much I empathize with the thousands of fans who won’t get to experience gameday in Neyland Stadium this fall,” Fulmer said. “These circumstances are beyond our control, and we understand the importance of playing our part to keep our community healthy. For those who will be with us in the stadium this season, please know that we are committed to creating the safest possible environment in and around Neyland Stadium.”
Current UT students and Tennessee donors will receive priority on the 2020 season tickets. The tickets will be offered as season tickets based on Tennessee Fund annual gift amount and rank order.
One thing that is encouraging to hear is that capacity restrictions could change as season progresses according to health officials. So there is a small glimmer of hope that we could have a 50 percent capacity or even a full-capacity Neyland by the time Florida comes to town in December.
Now, while it is certainly exciting that we are less than a month away til it’s Football Time in Tennessee, this season is going to be a gut punch for the average fan. That does not mean the average fan will not be fired up to watch the Big Orange this fall.
But the gameday experience in Knoxville this fall is going to be far different than we have ever seen before.
