Duke, Charlotte to open college football season without fans
Posted August 23, 2020 7:39 p.m. EDT
Updated August 24, 2020 9:45 a.m. EDT
Duke and UNC Charlotte will begin their home football schedules without fans in attendance.
Duke made the announcement on Monday, that it would start the fall season, for all sports, without spectators at home events. Duke's home football opener is scheduled to start on Sept. 19 against Boston College.
“To be sure, our venues will not be the same without our passionate, energetic fan base,” Duke athletic director Kevin White said in a statement released by the school. “Given the unique and challenging circumstances, this determination was reached with the health and safety of our fans, student-athletes, coaches and staff at the forefront. As this evolving process continues, it is imperative to be both adaptable and compliant in anticipation of hosting fans in the near future.”
UNC Charlotte football will not have fans in the seats when it opens the season on Sept. 26, the school announced Sunday.
The 49ers are slated to open the season on the road at Appalachian State and then at UNC, before returning home for the first time this season against Georgia State.
"We appreciate everyone's patience as we navigate these unprecedented and complicated circumstances," Charlotte AD Mike Hill said in statement released by the school. "Our staff has worked tirelessly developing multiple seating models to accommodate our amazing fans. However, we must be responsive to the condition of our community, and the reality is that until we see significant improvement, we cannot host fans. We remain hopeful that we will be able to offer single-game tickets for games later this season should the situation allow."
Fans who have purchased season and single-game tickets for Duke will receive email correspondence regarding options from the school. One chance Duke fans have to support the team at Wallace Wade Stadium is with “fan cutout,” like Major League Baseball clubs have used this summer.
Several different packages are available and include stadium location options, weekly prize drawings and the ability to have the cutout autographed by Duke coach David Cutcliffe.
The 49ers have just three other home games currently on the schedule after Georgia State. The school still hopes to allow fans at some point, and if they move forward with that, the athletic department is finalizing an individual game ticket model that would give advance access to season ticket holders and prioritize accommodating UNC Charlotte students.
"We are very grateful for the support from our season ticket holders and fans and will be reaching out beginning this week," said Hill. "We're going to continue to monitor this from a public health standpoint and do everything in our power to provide a safe, healthy environment for student-athletes, staff and fans."
