Being a season-ticket holder might not guarantee a seat at TCU football games this fall
TCU has approximately 30,000 season-ticket holders for football games at 46,000-seat Amon G. Carter Stadium.
If capacity for fall sporting events is limited anywhere from 25% to 50% at venues to limit mass gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic, it would mean difficult decisions are on the horizon for the TCU athletic department with how to distribute tickets fairly among season-ticket holders and even students.
If capacity is limited to 25% (11,500), more than 60% of season-ticket holders couldn’t attend games. Even at 50% (23,000), a significant number would be left out. Given that, it seems unlikely that TCU would even be able to offer single-game tickets with a limited capacity leaving season-ticket holders out.
“It’s still early to predict or to assume we can get to a higher capacity,” TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati said. “But we are hopeful to have as many fans as possible.”
Donati said the department will distribute tickets as fairly as possible, adding: “We will do our absolute best to accommodate as many fans as possible.”
In a May 22 order, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said professional sports leagues with outdoor venues could allow up to 25% capacity once a plan has been submitted and approved by the Texas Department of State Health Services. It’s unclear whether that would include college football games but Abbott has said that he expects at least some fans in the stands when football season starts this fall.
TCU is looking at a number of different options and scenarios in how it will distribute football tickets if capacity is limited this fall. It will likely be determined by the school’s priority points system, but nothing has been finalized yet.
Donati said the school is not expecting to make any formal announcements soon as it continues to work through options with the Sept. 12 home opener against Prairie View A&M more than three months away.
As Donati wrote in his monthly newsletter to fans, there are three options season-ticket holders will have in the event games are canceled or played with limited or no fans because of the pandemic.
That would fall under the “Acts of God” clause in the school’s ticket policy:
Option 1: Apply credit to the next season for the canceled sport
Option 2: Apply credit to the Frog Club for additional priority points and donation credit
Option 3: Refund season-ticket holder account
TCU’s season-ticket renewal deadline is Monday. The school is offering a couple different payment plans for fans to use.
At the end of the day, though, Donati and TCU are planning for at least some fans to be in the stands when games are played this fall.
Donati said he is “very confident” that games will be played and “very confident” fans will be in the stands during a WBAP Radio interview on Wednesday.
“There are obviously some social distancing guidelines and measures that we will have to undertake,” Donati said. “Obviously, things can change, but right now we’re looking at models of 25% capacity up to 50%. We don’t have anything finalized yet because we still have a few months, but that’s where it feels right today, that it’s going to be one of those two.”
