JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When high school football season kicks off this Friday and next for area teams in Florida and Georgia, the stands won’t be nearly as full due to safety precautions with COVID-19.
Different counties have capped attendance at certain percentages of their stadiums, with those figures ranging from 20% to 50%. Others like Bolles have limited fans to just parents and siblings for the time being and haven’t placed a percentage total on that.
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So, we know the percentages — 20, 30 and 50% are easy to see — but what does that translate to on actual fans in the stands? That varies depending on venue size and what schools have elected to do.
Scroll down to see graphic of select high school’s adjusted stadium capacity.
In Duval County, Fletcher has the most seating capacity at a stadium with space for 5,844. It will seat 1,753 fans under the current 30% limit. First Coast, Mandarin and White will have room for 1,500 fans under current limits. A private school like Trinity Christian (3,000 capacity) is limiting crowds to 1,500 now, a number that will be tested in a Week 2 showdown against Bolles.
While stadiums in St. Johns County vary in size, the district is limiting all schools there to 600 fans. That means Class 8A programs like Bartram Trail and Nease will be able to have as many fans as Class 5A Menendez for the time being.
Nease had 2,903 students in the 2019 school year, according to the Florida High School Athletic Association’s student population report, and Bartram had 2,883. Menendez had 1,373 students last year.
At facilities in Georgia, where there is no statewide mandate on attendance, the crowds will be larger.
At Glynn County Stadium in Brunswick, the capacity is 12,000 fans. Even at the reduced 40% capacity that the district will start with, that’s roughly 4,800 fans. Camden County is going with 70% attendance at a stadium that seats nearly 12,000.