Everything you need to know about attending a Mizzou Tigers football game this fall
Fans with tickets to the Missouri Tigers’ season opener Saturday against No. 2 Alabama will witness a Faurot Field unlike anytime before.
In place will be guidelines, social distancing and other strict rules to safely play a football game during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those still hoping to make their way to Memorial Stadium can purchase tickets on the secondary market. MU athletic director Jim Sterk said the university “sold out” its allotments to season-ticket holders.
Mizzou anticipates about 20% capacity Saturday, or around 11,700 spectators. A pre- and post-game “bubble” will be set up to ensure both Mizzou and Alabama can safely arrive and leave the stadium.
“A lot of preparation, all of the changes, it’s almost completely different,” Sterk said about finally hosting a game. “Everything from start to finish will be different. They’re really trying to do it in a safe and respectable way for everyone but still have a great event.”
Of all the changes, the big one is that there will be no tailgating allowed on campus property and parking lots. So ditch the grills, tents and even food, because Mizzou won’t allow it this fall.
Enforcing that policy is another matter, Sterk said, noting that school and stadium officials need cooperation from fans to ensure everything runs smoothly. Sterk said some concession items will be half-price, so the hit on fans’ wallets shouldn’t be too bad.
Other alterations include parking lots that will open three hours before kickoff, instead of the usual 8 a.m. Masks will be mandatory once on campus, and face shields are not considered suitable as an alternative. Tickets will be fully mobile, so fans are asked to download an app in advance and download their tickets. There will be mobile help stations at Faurot Field to assist in this.
Fans are still allowed to bring in bags as long as they adher to Mizzou’s clear-bag policy. School officials suggest leaving bags home unless necessary, though.
Seating zones will be spread throughout the stadium. Specific tickets and areas will be color-coded to specific zones, which are the only areas fans are allowed to enter the stadium. Those are in place in an effort to eliminate cross-traffic as much as possible.
The staff-to-fans ratio will also be much higher than a typical game day, with staffers concentrated at the entrances. MU said it wants to limit potential crowding at any bottleneck areas. Fans can expect a quick process for getting seated as they head to their assigned zone.
SEC guidelines limit the number of people physically allowed onto the field — which means no cheerleaders or spirit squads. They’ll be regulated to the Bunker Club in the south end zone, a little bit off the field. The players’ area on the sidelines has been made larger so they can spread out from one another.
“Probably the safest place will be on the field, as far as catching COVID, because all of those folks on the field have been tested three times that week alone,” Sterk said. “It’ll be a pretty good environment to play a game.”
Capacity at future MU home games could change, Sterk said. Regulatory guidelines could be altered, leading to more (or fewer) fans admitted. Sterk said fans have a hand in that, in how well they adhere to the rules in place.
Fiscally speaking, being able to host at least some fans is a boon to the university’s coffers.
“It’s really an 80% reduction in revenue when you look at the capacity and difference,” Sterk said. “That’s something we’re going to have to work through. Ticket sales are one of the larger revenues sources for us, so it’s important to have some.”
All that’s left for Mizzou now is to literally kick off the 2020 season. Sterk said it’s been quite the journey to get to this point, but now that it’s nearly here, he’s feeling some relief.
“It’s emotional because all of the work and preparation and trying to get to this point,” he said. “For a while there, we were seen as the big, bad guys having football, and we’re