While university athletics has yet to release the capacity at which Vaught-Hemingway will be filled or any other school-specific guidelines for the fall football season, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) confirmed today that it will still allow fan attendance pending future COVID-19 developments.
According to Ole Miss Athletics, there are 64,038 seats in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, making it the largest stadium in Mississippi. The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) website currently states that “arena attendance” is limited to 25% or less of full capacity, so by that restriction, the university could allow a maximum of 16,009 fans into Vaught-Hemingway.
The SEC also released a set of guidelines for fan health and safety today.
“These fan guidelines have been adopted by the 14 member schools of the Southeastern Conference as baseline recommendations for the campus management of fan health and safety,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in the release. “Although local and state guidelines will determine if and how many fans can attend games, these guidelines provide conference-wide expectations for protection of guests who are able to attend our games.”
All fans are required to wear proper face coverings as they move throughout the stadium and when an individual cannot maintain the recommended six feet apart to someone who is not in the same household. Stadium workers and athletics staff should also wear face coverings at all times.
The announcement also said that each university in the SEC will decide how tailgating will work on their respective campuses. Mississippi State canceled alumni tailgating for its 2020 football season in June, but Ole Miss athletics has yet to release plans for the Grove, which attracts thousands of fans every home game.
There are less than 40 days until the first home game of the season.
Traditional home game activities also include the Walk of Champions, a time when football players walk from the Walk of Champion arch in front of the union to the stadium. Players usually shake hands during this, but according to the new SEC guidelines, team walks will be prohibited if social distancing can not be implemented.
See the full list of new guidelines here.
