Dallas Cowboys Preparing For Crowds In 2020 NFL Season

With the highest attendance in the National Football League, the Dallas Cowboys don’t intend to play their home games this upcoming season in an empty venue, unveiling a plan to safely host crowds during the coronavirus pandemic.

Owner Jerry Jones told reporters Wednesday he expects the team to play its home games with fans in the stands this year. On Thursday, the Cowboys announced the Safe Stadium Policy for AT&T Stadium.

“Bringing football back will require the ultimate team effort, and we are so proud of the hard work our front line professionals have put in at the stadium and across our organization to ensure our fans, players, and employees have a safe and rewarding experience,” chief brand officer Charlotte Jones said. “The Dallas Cowboys value health and safety as our first priority, and we will continue to work closely with local public safety and public health professionals, the CDC and the NFL to ensure that our unrivaled fan experience at AT&T Stadium is the safest and best it can possibly be. There will be many changes this year, and we are deeply grateful for the understanding and support from our dedicated fans.”

The plan calls for limited seating, in accordance with CDC guidelines. An exact capacity has yet to be specified, but tickets will be distributed in seat blocks known as “pods” that ensure groups of family and friends remain socially distanced from other groups attending a game.

Dallas led the NFL with an average attendance of 90,929 fans per home game last season, ESPN reported.

Every fan in attendance who is at least 10 years old will be required to wear a mask when they are not actively eating or drinking. Tickets will be available only digitally through mobile devices. AT&T Stadium will be cashless, limiting fans to credit and debit cards, as well as mobile pay, to purchase food, beverages and merchandise.

Several NFL teams are planning to play in empty stadiums this year.

The Las Vegas Raiders have told season-ticket holders they intend to have no fans in attendance for the team’s first season in its new city. The New York Giants and New York Jets announced in July they won’t host fans “until further notice.” Other teams that have yet to make a determination regarding attendance, such as the Chicago Bears, have announced there will be no season-ticket packages available.

The Baltimore Ravens told The Baltimore Sun Wednesday they could host as many as 7,500 fans per game. The franchise had been hoping to have 14,000 fans in attendance for each contest.

Texas hosted the first professional team sporting event with fans for the first time in five months Wednesday. A crowd of 2,912 fans watched the MLS game between FC Dallas and Nashville SC in person at Toyota Stadium, which has a 20,500-seat capacity.

The NFL isn’t keeping its players in one central location like the NBA, WNBA and MLS have.

Cowboys’ players have instead taken it upon themselves to create a bubble-type atmosphere during training camp, ESPN reported. Players, coaches and team staff members are staying at the Omni Hotel next to the Dallas’ practice facility. Players are not required to stay at the hotel, but it has been strongly encouraged to keep the chance of coronavirus infection to a minimum.

The Cowboys are scheduled to start the season in Los Angeles on Sept. 13. Dallas’ home opener is scheduled for Sept. 20.