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FAYETTEVILLE — Whether or not the 2020 college football season will happen is still up in the air, but what’s certain is it will look completely different if it’s played.
Game day in a full, postponed or conference-only schedule - all of which are still in play - will be overhauled to adjust to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. and make it as safe as possible for everyone involved.
Athletics director Hunter Yurachek said in a Zoom videoconference with local media Thursday that he is working with Arkansas’ operations and external teams and consulting with the Arkansas Department of Health to finalize a plan for fans to attend games this fall.
Soccer and volleyball also play this fall, but football is obviously the biggest challenge. Even with a 19-year low, the Razorbacks still averaged a paid attendance of 53,759 last season.
This season, the goal is to accommodate all season ticket holders, which is close to 32,700 people, as well as UA students and the families of players. The dramatic drop in attendance would better allow for social distancing in Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Those who do get tickets will get them digitally, as Arkansas announced last week it has switched to exclusively using mobile ticketing that requires fans to scan tickets on their smartphones.
Yurachek said an added precaution will likely be staggered entry times and specific gate assignments to lessen congestion as fans enter the stadium. Once inside, there will signs to direct traffic, similar to what many grocery stores have implemented in recent months.
“I think you will see defined directional movement of patrons on concourses and aisles - meaning when you go down the concourse, you go down one way and come back the other,” Yurachek said. “There will be very little overlapping of traffic.”
The specifics are still being ironed out, but Yurachek said the UA is working with Levy to tweak how concessions are run. They are developing prepackaged items and could also have preordered and prepaid items.
While the game itself is expected to largely remain the same, the field will look different.
In another social distancing effort, an extra 20 yards has been added to the team box, as it will now stretch from the 15- to 15-yard lines instead of the 25- to 25-yard lines. Non-essential personnel will be limited on the sideline, as will media.
No determination about band or cheerleader performances has been made, but on-field presentations during timeouts and in between quarters have been eliminated.
“Some of the things that really make SEC football games and college football special - the pageantry we're all used to - is probably not going to exist in a college football venue this year,” Yurachek said.
