Ole Miss Announces Football Attendance Plan: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to be at 25 Percent for 2020

As established by the State of Mississippi’s latest executive orders, Ole Miss home football games will be at 25 percent capacity in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to begin the upcoming season.

Ole Miss’ 2020 attendance plan is based on guidelines from the state and the Southeastern Conference in response to COVID-19. Key components include face covering requirements throughout the stadium, social distancing between households and no tailgating on campus.

“We appreciate the diligence of our state and conference leadership in addressing these difficult decisions, and under their guidelines, our staff have developed a thoughtful plan to begin the season,” said Keith Carter, Ole Miss Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics.

“We ask the Ole Miss family for their cooperation and understanding as we adapt to the changes necessary in order to hold athletics events. While we’re all disappointed that we cannot enjoy The Grove this year, we look forward to providing a safe environment for as many fans as permitted at Vaught-Hemingway. Most importantly, we are grateful that our student-athletes will have the opportunity to play the game they love.”

Ole Miss will host five games, all against SEC opponents, beginning September 26 against Florida. Other home contests include Alabama (October 10), Auburn (October 24), South Carolina (November 14) and Mississippi State (November 28) in the annual Battle for the Golden Egg.

With the revised schedule of games, home tickets will be available on a single-game basis and sold in monthly selection waves. In each wave, fans will be able to choose from the next month’s home games and pick their preferred stadium section, which will each be sold at 25 percent capacity. Ole Miss Athletics will determine the reserved seats for each ticket-holder by socially distancing accounts within each section.

With the ticket selection process on a month-to-month basis, it allows for the potential of capacity adjustments later in the season if determined by the state. Season ticket holders will receive an email with all ticket related information on Sept. 2.

“These circumstances required unconventional thinking, and we worked hard to develop a fair process that honors existing priorities,” Carter said. “We want to welcome as many fans as possible, and our hope is that more opportunities emerge over the course of the season.”

“In order for that to happen, we all need to do our part and follow safety guidelines both at games and in our daily lives.”

Fans will be required to wear face coverings at all times when possible and particularly upon entering and exiting the stadium and while traveling around the concourse.

As mandated by the state, tailgating and other social gatherings on campus will be prohibited on gamedays. Fans attending games should limit their time on campus to the game only and not events before or after the contest. The Grove and Circle may only be used as pedestrian walkways.