Tyra observes Lynn Family Stadium procedures in Louisville City FC's opener
Louisville City FC’s home opener last week provided University of Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra with a preview of what games at Cardinal Stadium could be like this fall.
Tyra attended the USL soccer match at Lynn Family Stadium July 12 as 4,850 fans attended the venue’s debut.
Tyra was encouraged by the crowd’s behavior and the way the stadium’s event staff handled the guidelines put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus. The state of Kentucky is currently allowing sporting venues operate at 50% capacity.
“I was slow to walk so I could take it in,” Tyra said. “I wanted to look around, watch how things were being handled.”
Tyra said temperatures were being taken and fans were adhering to social distance markings.
“I thought they did a terrific job,” Tyra said. “I thought fans were outstanding wearing their masks. You literally would see people hold their masks up or to the side as they took a drink or had a bite to eat.”
With a capacity of 65,000, Cardinal Stadium can host more fans. Tyra thinks Cardinal Stadium can accommodate a larger number of fans per seats if families are allowed to attend games together.
“One thing I did notice was there was a lot of two-seat season ticket holders,” Tyra said. “When you look around the stadium there were a lot of people that had only two seats, that’s not normally the case for our football stadium where families have four and six seats.”
Louisville will continue plan for the 2020 season as guidelines change due to COVID-19.
“We will rely on the government and medical professionals to help us make our decision,” Tyra said. “It varies state-by-state, some states say no fans, some say fans.”
Louisville’s season opener is set for Sept. 2 at Cardinal Stadium against NC State.