The 49ers aren’t only planning to have fans at Levi’s Stadium for the first time since the 2019 NFC championship game, they’re aiming to skip over limited capacity opening and have a full stadium this year. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reported the team is planning to open at full capacity in 2021.
San Francisco didn’t have any fans at home during last season, and late in the year was forced by Santa Clara County to temporarily move their home operations to Arizona. They spent the final month of the season practicing there and playing their home games, in front of no fans, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Bay Area teams have started allowing fans into stadiums. The Golden State Warriors began hosting a limited number fans at Chase Center in late April, while the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics both allowed fans at a limited capacity to start their seasons on April 1.
The San Jose Sharks, which hold their home games at SAP Center in Santa Clara County, began allowing between 500 and 1,000 fans in late April as well.
Signs are good that the 49ers will be able to host some number of fans by the time they’re ready to host regular season games. COVID-19 trends in California are positive entering the middle of May, and the club isn’t scheduled to host a regular-season game until Sept. 26 against the Green Bay Packers.
As long as the state’s COVID-19 numbers continue in the right direction, a full Levi’s Stadium in 2021 may not be a farfetched idea.
