With the NFL season kicking off, teams are looking for ways to safely introduce fans back into the stadium. The Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine granted a variance to the State of Ohio’s sports order, allowing the Cleveland Browns to host fans at FirstEnergy Stadium with approximately 10% capacity for the team’s first two home games.
As a result, the Cleveland Browns have released a video showing a detailed, step-by-step look at how the Browns’ FirstEnergy Stadium Responsible Re-Start Plan will provide the safest possible environment for fans attending Cleveland Browns games during the 2020 season.
Greg Rush, VP of finance and administration at the Browns demonstrates some of the technology and initiatives introduced at the stadium following months of discussions with health organizations, the NFL and local authorities.
Signage and stickers reminding fans to keep their social distance, as well as sanitation stations are typical, but new guiding principles include the move to mobile ticketing, timed entry, a completely cashless environment, and pre-packaged food for premium and club areas.
Finally, fans will be seated in ‘trusted pods’ which are grouped in one to ten seats together, and spaced at least six feet away from the next pod.
A spokesperson for the Browns said: “We greatly appreciate Governor DeWine and Mayor Jackson, along with the state and city health departments, for their support of our FirstEnergy Stadium Responsible Restart Plan. We are grateful for their collaboration and contributions throughout our process, as well as those of medical experts from the CDC, University Hospitals and Duke University, industry-leading venue consultants and the NFL, to craft a plan that will help create as safe as an environment as possible at the stadium for our players, coaches, gameday staff and fans.”
