Fall sporting events may have full capacity, UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin announced.
The university expressed its plans during a virtual UF Eye Opener Discovery Breakfast Wednesday.
The Swamp was limited to 17,000 people, or about 20% capacity, for the 2020 football season due to Alachua County COVID-19 restrictions. The Gators haven’t seen full fan attendance since the day the sports world was put on pause, March 11, 2020.
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium holds up to 88,548 people, and the largest crowd of almost 91,000 people gathered Nov. 28, 2015 at a home game against Florida State. During Senior Day last season, UF boasted an attendance of 16,610.
Gator football coach Dan Mullen hinted at a packed Swamp in a viral Tweet April 9. It features fans in a packed crowd singing to Gainesville native Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down,” during the fourth quarter of the 2019 Auburn game.
“Hopefully we’re able to get back to some normalcy in the fall when we hit the field again,” Mullen said March 15. “I think all the Gator Nation is going to be excited. Everyone I see is like, ‘Boy, I hope we can pack the Swamp.”
Stricklin said about 60% of Florida’s student-athletes have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to MYCBS4 sports reporter Sara Cardona. The university began to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to all students, faculty and staff April 5.
Stricklin encourages people to get vaccinated but doesn’t foresee requiring proof of vaccination for athletic event attendance.
While Stricklin and company are optimistic for the fall, SEC and Alachua County officials have yet to announce changes to current regulations.
“They’re desperate to get back into the stadium and to go experience Saturdays in the Swamp,” Mullen said. “Hopefully through all the precautions and everything going on, we’re able to stay safe and we’re able to fill the stadium this fall.”
Contact Karina Wilson at kwilson@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @kk_rinaa
Karina Wilson is a second-year student at the University of Florida within the College of Journalism and Communications with a specialization in sports and media. She aims to produce engaging, accurate and current content for all types of sports fans. Currently, Karina is The Alligator's lacrosse beat writer.
