Decision Reversed: No Fans Allowed At Iowa State’s Season Opener

After further review, Iowa State University officials have reversed their decision regarding fans at the Cyclones' first home football game of the 2020 season.

Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced Monday that the school planned to limit fan attendance to 25,000 -- with COVID-19 mitigation efforts in place -- for Iowa State's Sept. 12 season-opener against Louisiana at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames. On Wednesday, came the news that the stands will be empty when the Cyclones take the field.

"President (Wendy) Wintersteen shared with me on Tuesday evening that, after weighing feedback she has received from the community, she has decided to reverse the decision," Pollard stated in a press release. "As a result, we will play the season opener without fans.

Pollard continued: "Our department staff and I have worked very closely with Dr. Wintersteen and her leadership team throughout the summer as we jointly developed plans for this fall's football season. Over the weekend, Dr. Wintersteen gave our working group the approval to move forward with the plans that were jointly developed. Our department announced those plans on Monday, which included allowing fans, who purchased season tickets, to attend the first game."

Kick-off is scheduled for 11 AM. The game will be televised by ESPN.

Fans wanting to watch the Cyclones in-person this season might be able to after Sept. 12. Iowa State's athletic director indicated in the press release that they may be allowed inside Jack Trice Stadium at future games.

"Although it is disappointing there won't be fans at the opener, our institution's leadership team is still committed to having spectators at future games, if it can done safely," Pollard said. "Weighing how our campus community responds to the recent surge in positive COVID cases will be a significant factor as to whether we can have fans at future games. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and make a decision regarding fans for the Oklahoma game (Oct. 3) at a later date."

Season ticket holders who wish to opt-out of their 2020 football season tickets can login to their account at this link. Once logged in, follow the opt-out instructions displayed on the screen.