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VCU officially sets 2020-21 seating capacity at 1,000

This just in via the mothership:

RICHMOND, Va. – VCU will begin its 2020-21 men’s and women’s basketball seasons with a capacity of 1,000 inside the Stuart C. Siegel Center, Vice President and Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin announced Wednesday.

The decision mirrors current guidelines set by the Commonwealth of Virginia for sporting events. If guidance from the Commonwealth changes throughout the 2020-21 season, VCU Athletics will adjust accordingly.

“We regret that we cannot have our usual full capacity to start the men’s basketball season,” McLaughlin said. “Our loyal, dedicated fans make our home games the best environment in college basketball and we will miss everyone who cannot attend in person. We will continue to work with all parties in an effort to maximize capacity beyond the current guidelines as the season progresses.”

VCU Athletics will limit seating to the arena bowl in a socially-distanced manner, with a buffer zone around the court to prevent contact between fans and participants. Courtside seating and the Tommy J. West Club will be closed. Ticket holders in those areas will have the opportunity to sit in the bowl area.

VCU Athletics will determine access to season tickets based on giving level and rank within each giving level, consistent with the Seat Equity model. Ticket allocations for student-athlete guests, coaches’ guests and students will leave approximately 650 for season ticket holders. VCU Athletics has created protocols to make unused tickets available to Ram Athletic Fund members on a single-game basis.

Season ticket holders will receive notification by Tuesday, Nov. 17, if they qualify for the current limited-capacity model. Ticket holders who do not meet the limited capacity qualifications will have a variety of options, including the ability to transfer their season ticket donation to a Ram Athletic Fund gift for 2021-22 or a refund.

A two-time graduate of VCU (School of the Arts '07, Center for Sport Leadership '10), Mat is a co-founder of VCU Ram Nation and a longtime fan as the ...
I hope they take temps at the door, something I think is very doable with those head temperature thermometers places use these days that take two seconds. With 7600 fans that's prob not doable, but 1000 fans I think it definitely is. If you have a temp, ya ain't coming in. My jiu jitsu gym has done that for months now and we've had zero outbreaks and that's a serious close quarters indoor activity (note: they reduced capacity too to where you have to signup ahead of time, have designated partners and areas and overall could be just a very similar setup to this).

Also, how early do they typically open doors? 1.5 hours prior? I think with only 1000 fans coming in, that's likely plenty of time to safely space out entry and reduce line buildup, but also prob a good idea to have designated entry points for certain tickets to spread that out even more.

I'm of the opinion this can be safely done having now lived through this and been addicted to the science for months now. I think bathrooms may be the trickiest situation though and concessions prob a good idea to not exist this year.