Florida Gators' 2020 Stadium Capacity To Be Reduced by 80%

While the SEC is set to kick off their season on Sept. 26, the Florida Gators football team will do so with an incredibly limited stadium capacity, limiting the number of fans who are allowed to attend.

Announced today, Florida will allow approximately 20% of its listed capacity of 88,548 fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, which amounts to exactly 17,000, this will be one of the largest differences in all of college football this year as "The Swamp," has historically been known as one of the loudest stadiums in the SEC.

In addition to a limitation of capacity in the stadium itself, the UF will mandate all patrons to wear face coverings over their nose and mouth throughout the duration of the game, including when fans are entering and exiting the stadium itself.

"Fans may only remove face coverings while eating or drinking. Failure to comply with this important health guideline could result in loss of ticket privileges," UF stated in its release today.

There will also be several changes to the game day activities itself, including a ban on tailgating, one of the mainstays of college football.

"The UAA is also making several changes to traditional game day activities. To promote a safer environment, the following fan experiences will occur this season:

Tailgating will not be permitted on the UF campus
Gator Walk will not occur in 2020
Gator Walk Village will not be set up for 2020
No Gators Fan Fest
No Spirit teams on the sidelines"

These sweeping changes are the result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has forced many football programs to shut down for the fall, including the Big Ten and Pac-12. The SEC, ACC and Big-12 are the only three Power 5 conferences currently left standing, slated to kick off their seasons during the month of September.

“As we have throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we worked hand in hand with UF Health, the SEC and its Medical Guidance Task Force, and campus officials to create the safest environment possible for the student-athletes, staff and fans,” Athletics Director Scott Stricklin said via the team's release.

Florida will also be making sweeping changes to their entry points, mobile ticketing will be required for the 2020 season. "Fans will be able to access their tickets through the Florida Gators app from their mobile device, or via FloridaGators.com/myaccount."

As is the case in some pro-level stadiums, Florida will be installing numerous sanitizing stations and include signage throughout its concourses that will reinforce its safety measures.

The full press release can be viewed here.