MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama has sold 4,439 football season tickets for 2020, the first season at the Jaguars’ new on-campus Hancock Whitney Stadium, athletics officials told season ticket holders during a recent online meeting.
Director of Athletics Joel Erdmann and other department staff hosted the meeting with season ticket holders via Zoom. Officials said capacity at the new stadium will be limited to 6,200 under social distancing measures, a number large enough to accommodate every season ticket holder.
Sales Halted in March
South Alabama stopped selling season tickets in mid-March, when social distancing measures and stay-at-home orders took effect in Alabama because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Season ticket renewals had already been emailed and mailed before sales were suspended. Ticket holders who bought seats for 2019 received priority when 2020 season tickets went on sale, and 2020 season ticket holders selected their seat locations in the new stadium last summer.
As of the Zoom meeting, 10 percent or fewer of season ticket holders had chosen to opt out of the 2020 season. Those who opted out could either roll their payments over to 2021 season tickets or donate the money to the university.
It was not disclosed how many student tickets would be held in reserve.
Move to Campus
The $74 million Hancock Whitney Stadium is scheduled to host its first season in 2020. South Alabama played its home games for 11 seasons at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, about seven miles from campus.
Program Context
The Jaguars enter 2020 coming off a 2-10 season in 2019, with one of those wins coming against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. That was the second season under head coach Steve Campbell, whose teams are 5-19 over two seasons, with two of the wins against Football Championship Subdivision opponents.
Elsewhere in Alabama
UAB, another Group of Five program in Alabama, is set to play its final season at Legion Field in 2020 before moving into Protective Stadium, a $179 million, 45,000-seat multi-use stadium under construction in downtown Birmingham. The stadium will be operated by the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Authority.
