What’s New that Fans Need to Know for Alabama Football’s Home Opener
There are a lot of new things to look out for as you prepare to enter Bryant-Denny Stadium for the Alabama Crimson Tide's home opener against Mercer on Saturday. Athletic Director Greg Byrne spoke about the changes to home games this year when he went on facebook live with Roger Hoover on the Crimson Tide Sports Network today.
Here are the new things you need to look out for if you are heading to the stadium this Saturday for the Tide's home opener:
Mask Mandate in Indoor Areas of the Stadium
Masks are mandated to be worn in non-residential indoor areas on campus through October 1, 2021 and this applies to indoor areas of the stadium as well, regardless of vaccination status. This includes elevators and any interior club spaces unless you are eating or drinking. Masks are not required in outdoor areas like the bowl seating and concourses.
Mobile Tickets
All tickets to the home games this year will be mobile and downloadable through the Alabama Crimson Tide app or RollTide.com. Byrne warned that fans should download their tickets to their mobile devices before they get to the gates at Bryant-Denny this Saturday because of potential issues that could arise if you wait until you get to the gate. Fans will then just open their digital wallets on their smartphones to scan their tickets as they enter their gate. Print-at-Home tickets or PDF copies are no longer available.
Mobile Parking Passes
Parking passes will also be downloaded to your phone through the Alabama Crimson Tide app or RollTide.com and not available to print.
New Metal Detectors
Byrne mentioned on the Facebook live with CTSN that they had new, more effective metal detectors at the stadium to aide with getting people into the stadium quickly. These metal detectors will be touchless and also be spaced according to social distancing guidelines to get people in as safely as possible.
Gate Number Changes
UA athletics urges everyone to check their gate numbers carefully on their tickets before they enter the stadium as the gates have been renumbered prior to the 2020 season to fit COVID guidelines. The gate number changes can be found on RollTide.com under the New In 2021 section.
Cooling Stations Provided in the Stadium
Cooling stations have been set up in the stadium to keep fans hydrated and cool as we face the heat this Saturday. Water tanks, fans, and sunscreen are provided for fans.
If you are watching from home:
Pregame Coverage begins on Tide 100.9 and 95.3 The Bear at 10 a.m. CT
You can listen to our all day radio coverage including pre-game and post game from 10 a.m. CT into the night at around 9 p.m. on Tide 100.9 FM.
You can also watch the game at 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network or online on WatchESPN.