Oklahoma's plan for 2021: maximum capacity

At Friday's Board of Regents meeting, OU president says "going back to full capacity" is the plan for the upcoming football season, although many precautions will remains in place

News from Friday’s OU Board of Regents meeting in Oklahoma City has set Oklahoma’s sprawling fan base abuzz, and with good reason.

“We are planning going back to full capacity,” said OU president Joe Harroz, “with safeguards in place.”

Sooner Nation is ready to once more pack The Palace.

The crowd at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium :: Shevaun Williams / OU Athletics

Athletic director Joe Castiglione released a letter to Sooner fans that turned up the electricity even more when he said, “Our plan is to operate our venues as close to normal as possible.”

In the letter, he made clear his desire to have a packed house for football games.

“As we look to the future, our plan for the 2021 football season is to return to maximum capacity at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium,” Castiglione wrote. “As you know, a Sooner home game is among is among the greatest spectacles in sports. We are excited to again hear the roar of our great crowd while delivering for our student-athletes the unparalleled experience of competing on Owen Field.”

The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing shutdown at first cast the entire 2020 college football in doubt. Then, as the university made preparations to stage games amid state health department mandates, fan attendance seemed unlikely.

The crowd at last year's season opener :: John E. Hoover / SI Sooners

Eventually, attendance was set at 25 percent capacity. Fans did their best, but the atmosphere at Owen Field was muted, diminished.

Now, in 2021, each of the more than 84,000 seats will be filled once again.

“Our planning process is rooted in our ongoing consultation with the state’s leading medical authorities,” Castiglione wrote. “With the vaccination adoption and supply increasing, we are encouraged by the improvement we are seeing across Oklahoma.

“You can rest assured that we will remain vigilant in our preparations, but for now, we are working under the assumption that the stadium will be full.

“The six-time defending Big 12 Champions appear to be poised for yet another run among the nation’s elite football teams.”

Castiglione even appealed to fans who might not yet be confident enough to pack into a football stadium.

“If you are contemplating the purchase or renewal of tickets,” he wrote, “our staff is ready to assist with your order.”

Castiglione added that for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year, current protocols will apply. Softball, for instance, is hosting a tournament this weekend with only family and friends in attendance, and capacity at future softball games will be restricted to 25 percent.

Football is planning to host its annual spring game in late April, but would not fall under Castiglione's plan for full capacity in 2021. In addition to current attendance guidelines, Lincoln Riley's showcase recruiting tool each spring is subject to the current NCAA recruiting dead period, which has been extended through at least May 31. 

“For the remainder of the school year, we will continue implementing our previously announced safety protocols,” Castiglione wrote. “For our spring events, we will continue to limit capacities.

“We also know that you will have questions regarding the Red River Showdown and making policies at that event and in our stadium,” Castiglione wrote. “Those details are still being finalized, but we appreciate that they are important to you and will share that information when it is available.

“In closing, I want to acknowledge that we understand that many of you have been through very trying experiences. Please know that we are sensitive to what you have faced, and our staff has thought of you often. I hope some of what we provide in the way of entertainment and recreation for you, your families and your friends is a comfort to you.”