Expect fewer fans at Boise State football games this fall; East side renovation on hold
If there are football games at Albertsons Stadium this fall, they won’t be played in front of a capacity crowd.
Because of social distancing guidelines in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus, Boise State Athletic Director Curt Apsey said Thursday that he anticipates the stadium’s capacity being reduced to about 25 to 30 percent of the 36,387 fans it can seat on game day.
Going off Apsey’s figures, crowds at Boise State home games this fall would range between 9,000 to 11,000 fans. That’s if there’s a season at all, of course. And that’s still a big if, Apsey said.
“I’m probably a little bit more pessimistic now than I was three or four weeks ago,” he said during a conference call with reporters on a day when Idaho set another record in terms of new coronavirus cases.
On Monday, Boise State sent out an email to season-ticket holders informing them of several changes to stadium operations, including requiring face coverings and, for the first time, the sale of beer. Those with season tickets have until Monday to opt out this year.
Apsey said he expects to have a more definitive number on how many fans will be allowed into the stadium by the end of next week, and he thinks the university has sold enough season tickets that it might not offer single-game tickets this fall.
“Whatever it’s going to look like, our capacity in the stadium is going to be smaller,” Apsey said. “I’m excited to see how we do it, regardless of how many people we have in there.”
College and professional teams around the country are wrestling with how to get fans in the stands safely this fall. On Thursday, the University of Illinois banned tailgates at Memorial Stadium and announced that its 60,670-seat venue will hold only 20 percent of its capacity if there are games this fall.
On Wednesday, Michigan announced that The Big House also will have limited capacity if there’s a season and suspended both guaranteed season tickets and sales to the general public. Tickets will be sold on an individual-game basis, and they’re available only to current season-ticket holders and students.
The Baltimore Ravens announced July 8 that if there is an NFL season, they’re likely to allow only about 14,000 fans in the stands at M&T Bank Stadium — a 71,000-seat venue.
Apsey said Thursday that the most important metrics guiding stadium capacity right now are social-distancing guidelines from state and local health officials.
“The biggest thing for us is to determine what the definition of social distancing is,” he said. “Right now, it’s 6 feet.”
Apsey said the working theory is to seat groups that enter the stadium together and create a 6-foot perimeter around them using empty seats.
Priority will be given to season-ticket holders who already have purchased this year and determined by a ranking system based on, among other things, donations to the university.
“These people earned the right with the priority rank in our system in terms of their support for the university,” he said.
Boise State is scheduled to open the season Sept. 5 at home against Georgia Southern.
East side renovation on hold
Apsey confirmed Thursday that long-discussed renovations to the east side of Albertsons Stadium and the Broncos’ Hall of Fame are on hold thanks to budgetary restrictions brought on by COVID-19.
“It’s just not the right time to be raising money for capital projects when we’re asking people in our department to make some pretty big sacrifices,” he said. “As soon as we get back on our feet, we’re going to get rolling again.”
On July 2, Boise State announced it was disbanding its baseball and swim and dive teams as part of an anticipated $3 million reduction to the athletic department budget.
It isn’t just the athletic department that’s suffering. When Boise State announced furloughs for all employees making more than $40,000 in April, President Marlene Tromp said the university stands to lose $10 million from canceled events stretching into the summer.
Renovating the east side of Albertsons Stadium has long been near the top of Apsey’s to-do list, and in January of 2019, he confirmed the university reached out to a local firm for an estimated price for the project. At the time, the hope was it would be done in time for this season.
The upgrades were expected to include an exterior face lift, expanded concourse, upgraded amenities, premium seating, an academic center and a dedicated home for BroncoLife — a program that helps student-athletes transition to college, be positive influences on campus and plan for their careers.
It would have been the first significant upgrade to the stadium since a bleacher expansion in 2012 and the completion of the football team facility in 2013.
Boise State reaffirmed its commitment to the project this January. No estimated cost or timetable for completion were given, but the university said it would be funded by a combination of private fundraising and money associated with new premium seating options.
This story was originally published July 16, 2020 at 5:47 PM.
