Back to School: Districts working to meet state order on limiting venue seating as fall sports begin

SPRINGBORO — Attendance at CareFlight Field at Watkins Stadium in Springboro will be held to 1,275 this Saturday night to remain within the guidelines of the state’s order on limiting venue capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

>> RELATED: State issues health order for stadiums, other venues

That number is roughly 15 percent of the stadium's capacity (6,500).

That percentage is what the state’s order calls for at all stadiums as high school football and other fall sports begin in earnest this weekend. According to the order, the maximum number of people permitted to attend events at outdoor entertainment venues is 1,500 or 15 percent of the fixed, seating capacity. Indoor entertainment venues are limited to 300 people or 15 percent of the fixed seating capacity in which social distancing can be accomplished.

The number of people allowed in a venue includes spectators, game participants, clients or other individuals.

Nancy Cantrell, whose son is a freshman cornerback at Springboro, and other parents are grateful there will be a season. Springboro’s freshmen play Saturday night.

"I think parents and those guys get to come first," she told News Center 7's Monica Castro on Tuesday night.

A district spokesman said there remains a discussion about who gets any extra tickets after families and essential people are allowed into venues this fall.

News Center 7 also checked with Tipp City.

At Tippecanoe High School, the message is this: "Only students participating in the Friday event will be able to purchase tickets...spectator attendance will be capped at 375 people."

At Northmont High School, Northmont City Schools Superintendent Tony Thomas said the Northmont Football Stadium has a seating capacity of 6,500, meaning 15 percent of that capacity is 975 seats.

"The capacity of our stadium allows us to abide by those limitations" of the state's order, Thomas said in a statement.

“My understanding is that by the time seniors of the band, cheer, football, and drill team for home and away participants are allocated four tickets and then two to three tickets for underclassmen, we are close to 900 tickets. So as you can see we are abiding by the order especially when you factor in ‘loved ones’ included in the order and coaches families,” Thomas said.

Cox Media Group