Garden City High School and USD 457 have received approval from the district’s Board of Education and Finney County Department of Health to open Buffalo Stadium for home football games for the 2020 season.
The approval provides for 50 percent capacity seating, or 2,200 fans.
Following are the approved guidelines for home games, the first of which will be Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. against the Hutchinson Salthawks.
FACE COVERINGS
In accordance with the Finney County Department of Health and USD 457, fans must wear face coverings over their mouths and noses in order to enter Buffalo Stadium and continue wearing them inside the stadium when they are unable to social distance. Fans must provide their own face coverings; GCHS/USD 457 will not provide face coverings.
NO TAILGATING
Tailgating will be prohibited in parking lots controlled by Garden City High School/USD457. This will reduce the risk of large group gatherings. Parking lots will open in conjunction with stadium gates 90 minutes (5:30 p.m.) prior to kickoff. Fans are requested to immediately enter the stadium after parking at the North Gate (of the Concession Building) on the west entrance of Buffalo Stadium.
NO RE-ENTRY
To assure the safest environment possible, once inside Buffalo Stadium, fans will not be permitted to re-enter the stadium should they elect to exit. This will help eliminate unnecessary congestion at gates, particularly prior to and after halftime.
MIDDLE/ELEMENTARY/PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN ATTENDING
Any pre-school, elementary school or middle school student attending the game must be accompanied by a parent or adult and must be seated with them at all times prior to and during the game.
BUFFALO SEASON TICKET HOLDERS
All GCHS Buffalo Football season ticket holders are guaranteed entry into the game. Social distancing practices are in place for seating.
CONCESSIONS
The Concession Stand on the west side of the Stadium will be open prior to and during the game.
OTHER SAFETY MEASURES
There will be approved hand sanitizer stations in various locations inside Buffalo Stadium. Fans are encouraged to use these upon entry, and any time before or after handling any items.
“We are pleased to have a safe plan in place that allows Buffalo fans and our guests to attend and watch high school football,” Drew Thon, GCHS Athletics/Activities Director, said. “We want them to feel safe and comfortable when they attend the games. We are experiencing unprecedented times, and while there is no reasonable way to guarantee that no fan could contract the virus, we are taking every measure we can to help. Our students and fans play a big role in making our game night environment one of the best in Kansas.”
Garden City High School 