Iowa State Reverses Course on Fan Attendance; No Fans Permitted to Attend Opener

Less than two days after announcing that they would allow 25,000 spectators at their September 12 matchup vs. Louisiana, Iowa State has reversed its course entirely. 

The school announced Wednesday that it will no longer allow fans at its home opener amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

"Our department staff and I have worked very closely with Dr. Wintersteen and her leadership team throughout the summer as we jointly developed plans for this fall's football season. Over the weekend, Dr. Wintersteen gave our working group the approval to move forward with the plans that were jointly developed. Our department announced those plans on Monday, which included allowing fans, who purchased season tickets, to attend the first game," director of athletics Jamie Pollard said in a statement.

"President Wintersteen shared with me on Tuesday evening that, after weighing feedback she has received from the community, she has decided to reverse the decision. As a result, we will play the season opener without fans."

Pollard said that the school will continue to monitor the pandemic closely and make a decision regarding fans for its October 3 matchup vs. Oklahoma "at a later date."

Iowa State's announcement comes shortly after The New York Times identified Ames, Iowa, as a coronavirus "hotspot" city over the weekend. As of Wednesday afternoon Times reported Ames, which has a population of 97,117, had 1,114 confirmed cases in the last two weeks or 8.5 cases per 1,000 residents.

Iowa City, the home of the University of Iowa, is also a coronavirus hotspot, and currently has 7.9 confirmed cases per 1,000 residents.

Iowa State began holding in-person classes on Aug. 17 and has no current plans to move to online-only instruction.