Below is a look into what your sporting experience could look like as a result of new social distancing measures.

On-Site Fan Experience

Entry

The day before your event, you will receive your assigned entry time to avoid the rush at gates and overwhelmed security checks and temperature scans. VIPs and suite ticket holders will have separate entrances and designated routes to their suite.

Crowded elevators, escalators, and stairwells are a thing of the past. Each will have measures in place to limit the number of people who can pass through at a single time.

Mobile Application

As soon as you arrive in the stadium parking lot, you will receive a notification prompting you to scan your ticket and showing you the least crowded gate entrances. A mobile app on your smart phone will use geofencing, a location-based technology, to send you updates that are personalized to your fan experience. 

If you’re tired of missing the action because of long concession lines during half-time, now you can order food and beverages via mobile app and have them delivered to your seat. The app will also be able to tell you which restrooms have the shortest lines and which concessions are closest to you for pick-up or delivery.

To fill the fan experience gap, you will have the capability to scan tickets, win giveaways and receive marketing promotions via mobile apps. Teams will be able to engage fans differently than ever before. Having a bad view of the pitch will no longer be a problem. Instant replays and livestreams will allow fans to get a virtual view of the field mid-match, as well as, real-time stats.

Suite amenities will become digital and touchless. Once you arrive at the stadium, your suite attendants will be notified to begin the preparation of food in your suite. You will now be able to order beverages via smart phone and they will be delivered by on-call suite attendants to reduce the amount of outside contact.

Capacity

No more bumping elbows with the loud obnoxious fan beside you or having a pint of beer spilt on you when your team scores. Seating capacity will drop to between 50% and 70% capacity and seats will be sectioned off by groups of 4 to 8 people, similar to the original Major League Baseball ‘loge box’ seating. The distance between fans will have to be at least 4 seats on each side and 2 rows in front and behind.

Stadiums could take out seats to enforce the social distancing and add railings in between rows to create the seating separations. In the future, stadiums might max out at 80% of their original capacity.

One major result of this is that home field advantage will be less impactful. Without full stands, playing at home will have a significantly lower effect on a team’s performance and the overall outcome of a tournament.

Sanitation

As venues ramp up sanitation, establishing stricter set guidelines for cleaning protocols, practices, and procedures will be necessary to give fans peace of mind when returning to their venues.

Masks will become part of your fan gear branded with your teams’ logo. While they might only be required during sporting events for the next six to twelve months, they could become a permanent trend, especially if they provide you with one more way to rep your team.

Concessions will be prepackaged and touch-less transactions through mobile apps will help to prevent contamination. Suites will have clear barriers from other suites, including outdoor seating areas, and larger suites will be divided into smaller suites to accommodate social distancing guidelines.

Spectators will see sanitation stations set up throughout stadiums that look similar to condiment stations and teams could even hand out branded mini hand sanitizer bottles. There will be disinfecting wipes available every couple of rows for fans to grab before they head to their seats.

Ceremonies & Traditions

Some of your favorite football traditions could be changed forever. The traditional team procession onto the field, which consisted of players holding hands with young player mascots sporting team jerseys, will look different or be eliminated completely. Coin tosses and congratulatory handshakes will be traded for elbow bumps or cleat taps. Ceremonies for larger tournaments could transition over to digital to minimize the person-to-person interactions. Trophy presentations could become less elaborate with minimal staff interacting with the players.

Exit Strategy

Once the final whistle blows, fans will be directed to stay in their seats until their specific sections are permitted to exit the building row by row. No longer will there be a stampede of people rushing to their cars and trains at the end of every event. You will exit the stadium much like you board a plane: a few zones at a time.

At-Home Fan Experience

Broadcast & Streaming