NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints season ticket holders have been given the option to opt out of the 2020 packages.
The Saints contacted their season ticket holders on Friday to offer deferment of 2020 season tickets to the 2021 season, which would allow fans to use money already paid toward the cost of their 2021 tickets. Season ticket holders also have the option to receive a refund upon request.
The Saints join the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, N.Y. Giants and Jets, Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks as NFL teams that have begun taking on this initiative with season ticket holders.
In a statement the team wrote, “The New Orleans Saints continue to work with state and city government leaders, ASM leadership, health departments and local health experts in formulating the process and procedure for hosting games for the 2020 season with the highest priority being the health and safety of our players, coaches, staff and fans. In the next few weeks, the team will announce a comprehensive 2020 ticket and seating policy, which will be fully communicated to all season ticket holders.”
The team also wrote that they are expecting to have far less than the 74,295 that is available for home football games.
“Though we remain fully confident games will be played, we are preparing to begin the NFL season at a reduced capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The process for determining gameday seating capacity has been set forth in the NFL’s Prepare to Watch Guidelines issued to all clubs. The guidelines state that maximum stadium capacity for each NFL team across both general admission seats and club seats will be the maximum capacity allowed by state and local governments, subject at all times to CDC guidelines, physical distancing protocols, and all relevant NFL Stadium Operations guidelines.”
The team also addressed what options are available to those season ticket holder that have seats in the first six to eight rows of the Superdome. The league approved covering the first six to eight rows of stadium seats to aid in social distancing guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a part of the formulation of a stadium configuration change, the NFL also recently notified clubs of the covering of several front rows of seats for the 2020 season and as a result we will be reaching out to these impacted season ticket holders shortly once we have a finalized manifest from the NFL. We will offer these season ticket holders the option to relocate to other available locations at the same level as other season ticket holders. They will also have an option to receive a credit or refund.”
New Orleans is scheduled to open up the 2020 regular season at home in the Superdome against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, September 13th.