Middle Tennessee is allowing 20% fan capacity, or about 7,000 fans, inside Floyd Stadium on Sept. 19 for the Blue Raiders’ home opener against Troy.
Athletic director Chris Massaro announced the update Wednesday.
Tailgating will not be allowed. Massaro says the plan was drawn up after consulting with university, local and state health officials. Of the seats, 1,000 will be held for students.
Massaro says the seating capacity could expand or contract depending on how people follow the guidelines at the opener and if COVID-19 cases continue dropping locally. All seats will be re-assigned for social distancing, and fans will be required to wear a mask inside the stadium and in the parking lots.
The NFL’s Tennessee Titans host Jacksonville on Sept. 20 in Nashville with no fans allowed at Nissan Stadium. The difference there is Nashville has its own local health department overseeing capacity issues during the pandemic.