News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The TSSAA will limit crowds at the state high school football championship games to 5,500 attendees per game.
The games are set to kickoff December 3rd at Tucker Stadium in Cookeville. TSSAA Assistant Director Matthew Gillespie said the same COVID guidelines from this season will carry over for all nine games.
“It is going to be the same as what schools and the athletes and the fans have dealt with all throughout the regular season,” Gillespie said. “It is just a little bit larger scale being the championship game, so it will not be really too different for anybody.”
Gillespie said fans now need to purchase an individual ticket for each game they want to attend. Daily passes will not be available this year.
“Because we have to have an extremely accurate number in regards to our capacity, each ticket will be good for one game,” Gillespie said. “For whatever game you are wanting to attend, you will need to buy a specific ticket for that game. Whether it is the 11 o’clock game, 3 o’clock game or 7 o’clock game on the respective day, fans will need a specific ticket for that game. The stadium will be cleared after each game and new entry for fans with tickets for the following game will occur at that point.”
Gillespie said seating will clearly be marked and all fans will be required to wear a mask. Majority of high schools started its football seasons in August with precautions in place. Gillespie said overall, the season has gone well but going through schedule changes has been common.
“Some schools have played an entire schedule without a hitch, and a lot have had to make adjustments and drop games and pick up different games, change their bye week, play different opponents they are used to now playing and things like that. That has happened very frequently, and many times just days before a scheduled game. I think schools have certainly handled the challenges very well.”
Gillespie said regarding mask and capacity requirements, the early season saw challenges and TSSAA had to communicate to school administrations to be stricter. Gillespie said now, most issues have been resolved.
