Saints and New Orleans Mayor Make a Deal to allow Fans at Home Games
The New Orleans Saints and Mayor LaToya Cantrell have reached a deal to allow access to 3,000 tickets for season ticket holders. The Saints will meet the division rival Carolina Panthers on Sunday in the Mercedes Benz Superdome. The Saints and the City of New Orleans have agreed to have 3,000 fans in attendance at Sunday's game.
The new plan increases fans' numbers from the 750 that the city allowed the last two home games. The Saints games on November 15th and November 22nd against San Francisco and Atlanta will give fans access to 6,000 tickets. In December, the Saints will host both the Kansas City Chiefs on the 20th and the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas day when 15,000 fans will be allowed in the stadium for those games. The City of New Orleans and the Saints will require everyone attending the contest to wear face masks and practice social distancing.
Jan 5, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; A fan holds tickets outside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome before a NFC Wild Card playoff football game between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook -USA TODAY Sports
Mayor LaToya Cantrell released a statement,
“I am allowing the Saints to move forward with this pilot exercise, allowing for limited seating in the Dome this Sunday, as part of a phased incremental approach consistent with the City’s Phase 3 reopening.”
She said,
“The way forward towards additional expansion depends on the current trends remaining stable. An outbreak or a sudden increase in community spread would be a reason to pause. I am glad to welcome Saints fans back into the Dome, and hopeful that we can continue on a deliberate, gradual path forward. “
Sep 27, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis (56) huddles with the team prior to kickoff against the Green Bay Packers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit Derick E. Hingle
Statement from the New Orleans Saints Organization
Mayor LaToya Cantrell in partnership with the New Orleans Saints has agreed to a phased and deliberate pilot approach allowing fans to attend Saints games in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, beginning with this weekend’s game against the Carolina Panthers.
Season Ticket Holders will have access to 3,000 tickets that will be distributed for the October 25th Carolina home game to be played at noon CT.
Barring any change in local health & safety guidelines as any additional changes to crowd size are only if current trends remain stable then and only then will capacity increase to 6,000 fans for both the November 15th San Francisco and November 22nd Atlanta home games.
Capacity would then increase to 15,000 for the December 20th Kansas City and December 25th Minnesota home games, again barring any change in local health and safety guidelines. In addition, a few tickets to satisfy player, team, and other required NFL obligations were additionally approved for the remaining games.
Besides monitoring compliance with all health and safety protocols at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Mayor Cantrell’s office will also be strictly enforcing crowd gatherings throughout the Central Business District and French Quarter on game days to ensure all city regulations are being observed.
The Saints and Mayor Cantrell’s office encourage all of our fans to wear your mask while in public, practicing good hygiene and maintaining social distance. It is imperative as noted that everyone does their part to make sure all the progress made by our community in our fight against COVID-19 is not lost and we have no setbacks, this plan is based on creating a healthy and safe environment for our fans to arrive, enjoy and depart Saints home games safely.
The Saints want to thank the tremendous teamwork of Governor Jon Bel Edwards, the Louisiana Stadium Exposition Board, Scott Woodward, and the LSU Athletics Department, ASM Global for their collaborative design of Venue Shield - the best stadium reactivation plan in the NFL, Ochsner Health, the National Football League and Mayor LaToya Cantrell and her entire health and safety team.
Greg Bensel, Senior Vice President of Communications/Broadcasting
Nov 24, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints fans cheer from the stands during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
