JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Baltimore Ravens cast an ominous tone on fans at football games this NFL season, announcing on Wednesday that all season ticket sales will be put off to 2021 and that if fans are allowed at games, only a fraction would be permitted.
Refunds for tickets that have already been purchased for this year would be issued.
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“Based on the social distancing guidelines and fan safety protocols developed by health experts, governmental officials and the NFL, it is expected that the stadium capacity — if fans are allowed — would be fewer than 14,000 seats per game,” a statement from the Ravens said.
Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium has a capacity of 71,008.
The Ravens’ announcement to Permanent Seat License owners on Wednesday was the first in what is bound to be a steady list of changes for NFL teams.
“With over 62,000 season tickets already sold, there is no equitable way to accommodate in a limited stadium capacity all PSL Owners who are interested in maintaining season tickets for 2020,” said senior vice president of ticket sales and operations Baker Koppelman. “Under these unusual circumstances, it’s best to simplify the ticket sales process and allow fans to decide which games they want to attend, while giving our PSL Owners priority in accessing tickets.”
The Packers announced on July 5 that they would have “to make several difficult decisions” in regards to attendance at games in 2020, but haven’t provided further details.
NFL training camps are scheduled to open July 28, but the coronavirus pandemic has made reporting on that date seem like a best-case scenario for teams around the league.