In an ongoing effort to facilitate physical attendance at sporting events in the COVID-19 era, the University of Nebraska is forgoing the issuance of paper tickets in favor of a contactless mobile app that will regulate parking and stadium access.
As reported by the Scottsbluff Star Harold, the Nebraska athletic department announced Monday it will have “contactless entry into all venues beginning with the 2020 fall sports season.”
That means tickets for a football season will not be mailed per usual, but instead accessed through a new app. Fans must use the digital option to gain entry instead of physical tickets and parking passes.
Nebraska reported last month that season ticket renewals remain on a similar pace to most years at around 94 percent, the Star Herald reported. In recent weeks, Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos, university president Ted Carter and state governor Pete Ricketts have all said they hope to have Husker football at Memorial Stadium this year. At the beginning of June, Ricketts said the state could eventually get to a phase of reopening in which 100 percent capacity is allowed at outdoor venues. At Memorial Stadium, that translates to more than 85,000 fans.
Nebraska announced last week out of 250 student-athletes and staff tested over the summer, eight have tested positive for coronavirus. Two football players and one coach tested positive upon arrival on campus. Three players over the last three months tested positive based on community spread after their arrival, according to head coach Scott Frost.
“Our opinion on whether or not there’s going to be football has changed two dozen times,” Frost told The World-Herald of Omaha last week. “Recently, we feel like there’s going to be football, we’re just not sure what that’s going to look like.”