Developing new gameday protocols is just one more item on CU's to-do list

BOULDER — The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the college football offseason in ways that seemed unthinkable just a few months ago, with facilities being closed down, games being canceled and questions about the safety of student-athletes moved into the limelight.

“Health and safety is at the forefront of our decision making and we get informed quite often from the doctors in our conference and our decisions are guided by their input and their support,” Colorado athletic director Rick George told reporters on Monday.

Those doctors are also helping the Pac-12 decide what to do for fans who want to attend football games this fall. Colorado sent an email to season ticket-holders two weeks ago that said the Buffs “anticipate that only those customers who have purchased season tickets will have access to game tickets this season.” The email added that the Buffs still don’t know how many fans will be permitted to enter the season.

“It’s going to be important that those (fans) who do choose to come to the game – and it’s their choice — we’ve got to make sure that they know that it’s going to be different and how’s it going to be different,” George said.

Some of the differences could include new mobile ticketing protocols and completely revamped concession experiences. As George noted, developing those protocols is only half the battle; educating fans about the new systems is important to make sure all runs smoothly on gameday.

“I would believe that at that point, we will put things in writing, we’ll put together videos on what it will look like to make sure that they know what the ticket situation would be like and how they can share tickets, where they will park, what gates they will enter because it may not be what it’s been for the last 40 years,” George said.

While educating fans may not grab headlines the way that re-structuring football schedule does, it’s still a vital part of building a 2020 football season.

“We will have to do a really good job in that area and that’s an area that we will be focused on as we get closer to knowing what the fall season will look like,” George said. “We will make sure that we send those communications out regularly to those that are coming to the games.”