In a sign that things may very well be pretty close to normal this fall, the Minnesota athletic department announced that all athletic events will be back at full capacity. This includes the first football game of the Big Ten season between Ohio State and the Golden Gophers on Thursday, September 2. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST and will be played at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
“We are excited to safely welcome fans back into our venues,” Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle said in a released statement. “We will follow all University, local, and state guidelines. And — we are looking forward to our fans once again providing a tremendous advantage for our Gopher student-athletes when they compete on campus. We are so thankful for our fans, donors, and sponsors who helped provide necessary resources for our student-athletes last season, but we missed seeing and hearing them at games. We cannot wait to welcome everyone back to campus in a few months, while still providing our fans with a safe and enjoyable experience.”
Welcome back, #Gophers!
We are excited to announce that all #Gophers events will be back to full capacity! 🎉
All the details: https://t.co/337hVWjGK7 pic.twitter.com/PGA0Cj4cdA
— Minnesota Gophers (@GopherSports) June 22, 2021
We’re still not sure what that means for Ohio State and its planned capacity for the season’s home games this fall. OSU athletic director Gene Smith has expressed optimism in a full stadium, as has Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. But nothing has been made official yet, except for a number of season ticket sales and student and faculty/staff kicking off. A further inventory still to be determined will be released in early August according to the Ohio State athletic department.
Still, it sure looks like things are trending in the right direction and you can bet as soon as any inventory is released, Buckeye fans will be all over it.
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