Jerry Jones: Dallas Cowboys expect to expand AT&T Stadium capacity as season unfolds
The Dallas Cowboys are expecting — and hoping — to allow more fans to attend home games at AT&T Stadium as the season progresses.
Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the team plans to expand capacity at the stadium as long as coronavirus safety guidelines are in place and the attendance figure falls in line with state pandemic safety precautions.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced that nearly all businesses in the state can open to 75% capacity beginning Monday. The only areas of Texas not included in the expansion order are the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, and Victoria. Those regions still have a coronavirus hospitalization rate over 15%. Stadiums and arenas, however, are not specifically addressed in the governor’s order. Amusement parks, for instance, must remain at 50% capacity.
The Cowboys, specifically Jones, have been vague on exactly how many fan will be allowed Sunday when the team hosts the Atlanta Falcons. Head coach Mike McCarthy said during a press conference that he expects the stadium to be at about 25% capacity, which would equal about 20,000 fans.
“I would say that everything is going well, which we expect it to be going well, and I think we will evolve into more and more and more of our fans coming to games,” Jones told KRLD/105.3 FM “The Fan” on Friday. “That’s definitely the plan.”
Jones said he’s hopeful that capacity will increase in the coming weeks.
“I’m positive about the ability to put together more fans as we go. I think the more we see our testing procedures improve, the better we can feel about everyone’s health and expand the crowd,” he said. “Yes, I do think we’ll expand it as we go.”
Jones has been touting the spaciousness of AT&T Stadium, which opened in 2009. With more than 3 million square feet, Jones joked that fans could social distance so much that one could be sitting in Dallas while another is sitting in Fort Worth.
“I’m really liking how we’re approaching this thing,” Jones said. “I urge our fans to be safe in their protocols, wear their face mask, and recognize from a safety standpoint, their consideration for others.”
Jones urged fans to stay away if they’re not in good health or are vulnerable to COVID-19.
This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 2:37 PM.
