According to an official press release from the team, the Arizona Coyotes will allow fans to start the season. While it’s not close to listed capacity of Gila River Arena, the team will allow 3,450 fans for January home games. The cap of 3,450 fans is 25% of the listed 17,125 capacity, but it’s a step towards normalcy. The Coyotes will re-evaluate capacity each month during the season in partnership with the City of Glendale and Gila River Arena.
A crowd of 3,450 is similar to that of junior or college hockey and there are other positives to this as well. This allows for team and arena staff to get back in the flow of things while not being overwhelmed. In a season that saw bubbles without fans, this is a welcome sight to many who have missed attending games. Commentators and fans alike have stated that fans bring a lot of energy that the players feed off of. The pandemic has made people like hockey commentator Ray Ferraro realize how important fans are to games.
Venue and Fan Restrictions
Everyone in the venue must wear masks when not eating or drinking. There will also be socially distanced seating, touchless pre-paid parking, digital ticketing and cashless transactions. There won’t be any smoking on the outside patio and hand sanitizer stations will be installed throughout the arena. Sanitation measures will be improved along with more protocols at concession stands. The flow of fans will be circulated and bags will be banned. But there’s one particular aspect fans will be using as players did in the bubbles last season.
At all home games fans will be required to use an app that players used in the bubbles, called CLEAR. Once they install the app, fans will verify their identity with a selfie and answer some health questions. Prior to stepping foot in the venue, fans will open up the Health Pass on the CLEAR app and show their green health pass. Like that of everything else this season, presenting their green health pass at the venue will be touchless.
Health Pass | CLEAR (clearme.com)
Who can attend?
The limited capacity may keep some fans away in the short term depending on what type of tickets they purchase. Season ticket holders will get priority selection on purchasing tickets, but due to the socially distancing seating pods, fans may not get their normal seats. Season ticket holders will also get access to a new Flexible Spending Account to select games prior to general public. Like other sports have done, the Coyotes are allowing season ticket holders who choose not to attend this season to roll their funds over to the 2021-22 season.
Also new for the 2021 season are small loge boxes of four or six people. These boxes will be located on the 1100/1200 suite levels of Gila River Arena. These boxes will be semi-private and allow fans to have a hassle free and socially distanced experience at Coyotes home games this season. Despite these restrictions, it’s promising to see a slight sense of normalcy with the return of fans.
