Ohio State Buckeyes Stadium capacity could be reduced 80% for upcoming season

July 28, 2020

FOOTBALL WDPN/WDJQ,   While no final decision has been made regarding the 2020 football season, the Department of Athletics has been working diligently with university leaders, public health experts and government officials to create game day plans that protect the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes, staff, faculty and fans. In order to provide the safest environment, certain measures will need to be implemented at Ohio Stadium this year, including physical distancing, mandatory masks/facial coverings, limited concessions, no tailgating and no skull session at St. John Arena. These measures will result in a reduced crowd capacity of no more than 20 percent of overall stadium capacity and will impact all ticket holder constituencies in both overall ticket quantity and seat location.     Physical distancing in the seating areas will require a reduction in season ticket quantities in order to accommodate as many accounts as possible. Seat reductions will be made based on the following scale: • 1-10 season tickets purchased – retain a maximum of 2 season tickets; • 11-20 season tickets purchased – retain a maximum of 4 season tickets; • More than 20 season tickets purchased – retain a maximum of 8 season tickets.   The Department of Athletics must reserve the right to refund orders if necessary. We appreciate your patience and will communicate all pertinent details as soon as we have them.   We understand not all fans will feel comfortable attending games for health and safety reasons, or may not be interested in attending due to reduced capacity guidelines. Therefore, we are allowing all season ticket holders to opt out of their 2020 football season tickets commitment without longevity or eligibility penalty, if they wish. Those who choose to opt out:   • Will retain their consecutive years of purchase; and • Will retain their full season ticket eligibility (no lapse in purchasing will be applied to long-time purchasers and faculty/staff members) YES, I’M IN: If you wish to keep your 2020 season ticket order intact, please log into your account here by Monday, August 3rd and indicate that preference.  Please Note: Because of the anticipated physical distancing guidelines which will significantly reduce capacity in the stadium, the Department of Athletics must reserve the right to reduce ticket allotments and/or refund orders if necessary. Our goal will be to accommodate as many season ticket holders as possible.   As a reminder, seats assigned for the 2020 season will only be for one year and will be based on appropriate physical distancing.   All necessary refunds and seat reductions will be completed once the opt-in/out process is complete and details about stadium capacity for the season has been confirmed.   NO THANK YOU, I’M OUT: In these unprecedented times, we hope you will consider converting your investment to a fully charitable contribution that will help offset the grant-in-aid costs of our student-athletes. Contributions are vital to sustaining Ohio State Athletics’ ability to provide resources for student-athletes and compete at the highest levels while remaining 100 percent self-supporting. If you prefer to opt out for the 2020 season, please log into your account here by Monday, August 3rd and select from the following options:   Season ticket and parking payments: 1. Donate your ticket payment(s) to the Champions fund to support student-athletes. 2. Apply your ticket payment(s) as a deposit to your 2021 football season tickets. 3. Receive a full refund for your ticket payment(s) already made.   Ticket Assurance Plan: In the event that any 2020-21 Ohio State Athletics events are permanently cancelled, or are played under conditions that prohibit fans from attending, ticket holders will have the option to receive a refund for the affected game tickets, receive a credit toward a future ticket purchase, or donate their ticket payment(s) to support student-athlete scholarships. This guarantee will apply to all ticketed athletic events.   Our changes in protocols this year are designed to be helpful and to provide a level of confidence as you invest in our programs. The Department of Athletics will continue to follow the advice and directives of the Governor, University leadership, health experts and medical officials. Our highest priority is the health, safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff and fans.