Bulls to welcome fans in a physically-distanced manifest to home games starting Dec. 19 when women’s basketball takes on Houston.
TAMPA, Dec. 14, 2020 – USF Athletics will welcome fans back to the Yuengling Center for American Athletic Conference basketball action in the 2020-21 season presented by Tampa General Hospital beginning on Saturday, Dec. 19 when Jose Fernandez’s women’s basketball team faces Houston in a 7 p.m. tipoff. The first game with fan attendance for Brian Gregory’s men’s team will be on Tuesday, Dec. 22 when Wichita State comes to town for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
“We are excited to have the opportunity for a limited number of fans to see our exciting men’s and women’s basketball teams compete in person when the conference seasons begin,” USF Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly said. “We greatly appreciate university leadership and local health officials’ guidance and assistance as we prepare to welcome fans back to the Yuengling Center. Our team has worked hard to create a safe and exciting game day environment for our student-athletes, coaches and fans alike. We will continue to closely monitor the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and consult local, state and university health officials in regards to attendance as the season progresses.”
USF plans to welcome fans to approximately 1,200 seats in physically-distanced pods ranging in size from two persons to four persons, with seating reserved for up to 300 students, mostly in their traditional baseline seating area. There will be no 100-level seating behind the team benches or court-side seating, as a 12-foot perimeter will be implemented surrounding the court.
There will be limited 100 level seating behind the baselines and opposite the benches as well as in the 200- and 300- level and loge seating. Concessions stands will be open but there will be no congregating in the Fifth Third Bank Club or Meyer Family Hardwood Club for the 2020-21 season.
All men’s and women’s games will be ticketed on a single-game basis, with season ticket members and Bulls Club members receiving priority access to tickets and seat locations. The six scheduled double-headers during the conference season with the men’s and women’s teams playing at home on the same date (Jan. 2, 6, 27 and 30 & Feb. 13 and 20) will be issued one ticket providing a seat for both contests on that date. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls or visiting USFBullsTix.com.
USF has transitioned to all mobile ticketing through the USF Bulls app beginning in the 2020 season. Fans can access the free app in the Android and Apple app stores.
The USF Bulls app is fans one-stop shop for game day information and venue guides, schedules, rosters, statistics and more info concerning Bulls athletics. Fans can not only service all their ticket needs through the app, but can access information, photos and features on the Bulls, listen to digital radio broadcasts on Bulls Unlimited channels 1 and 2 and participate in special contests and games.
The Yuengling Center has installed numerous hand sanitizer stations and increased the number and accessibility of hand-washing stations throughout the arena as well as added other protocols, such as six-foot physically distant line queues and all cashless transactions, to help create a safe, comfortable and convenient experience for fans attending games. All Yuengling Center staff and fans will be required to wear a face mask at all times upon entering the facility. Fans will be directed through their digital ticket to the closest entry gate to their seat location and will be allowed to bring a clear bag into the facility.
Personalized fan cutouts will still be placed in the 100-level seating areas to occupied by attending fans. Fans can submit their likeness through an online system and order their own fan cutout to cheer on the Bulls in the Yuengling Center for $50. Fans will get to keep the cutout as a souvenir following the conclusion of this unique season and proceeds from the sale of 2020-21 fan cutouts will support USF Athletics and Bulls student-athletes.
To submit a likeness and order a 2020-21 season fan cutout, please follow this LINK.
The American Athletic Conference and ESPN begin a new 12-year television rights agreement this season that will see nearly all men’s and women’s games available for viewing either via traditional linear networks or digitally through ESPN+. Subscriptions for the ESPN+ app are $5.99 monthly or $49.99 annually and can be packaged with Hulu and Disney+ streaming services.
A step-by-step guide for subscribing to ESPN+ is located here.
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men’s and women’s teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls’ athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 55th season in 2020-21. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 19 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, and own 120 conference titles overall. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the fifth straight year in 2019-20 and have posted a program record 11 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has had nearly 400 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
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