TAMPA, Fla. — Recently, the Miami Dolphins announced plans to reopen its stadium at one-fifth of its normal capacity.
So, with the NFL season just weeks away, what’s the plan for Raymond James Stadium?
“You will see a different approach when you come to the stadium,” says Eric Hart, CEO of the Tampa Sports Authority, which manages Ray Jay.
Hart is what you might call 'the man with a game plan', as he oversees a multimillion-dollar project to make Raymond James Stadium COVID-19 ready.
“And a lot of it could be design,” Hart said. “It could be how you try to queue people. I mean there’s various factors why stadiums can or can’t open. And we’re making every effort right now we’re developing plans.”
Hart is up against a play clock of his own, just weeks away from the Bucs and Bulls home football seasons, big-name concerts later this year, and of course Super Bowl LV on February 7.
“I will tell you at times it’s challenging,” he said.
Raymond James Stadium wasn’t built with COVID-19 in mind, and so unlike newer, more modern venues, it has to be converted to meet CDC guidelines.
That means hundreds of new touchless bathroom facilities and ticket-taking systems are being installed. Online and wireless payment systems for hundreds of vendors will soon be in place. They’re also adding U-V lights capable of killing viruses to the stadium’s massive air conditioning system.
“We want to try to kill the virus because it’s recirculating,” Hart said. “Because the concern has been the indoor spaces.”
In July, Hillsborough County commissioners approved spending up to $10.4 million for the improvements. The work is being done in three prioritized phases.
“Based upon equipment coming in and purchase orders that we have signed through and passed through, we might be about halfway there. So, we’ve got a lot of work to still do,” Hart said.
Still, if the rules and guidelines don’t drastically change, Hart says they’ll be ready to go opening day.
They’re working with a major architectural firm to calculate the stadium’s social distancing seating limit, but it’s probably going to end up being somewhere around 13,000 to 14,000.
“If you take our capacity, which is around 66,000, 67,000, in that range of permanent seats. Take 20 percent of that and you’re gonna get close to your number. It’ll be somewhere within 1 percent either way,” Hart said.
And talk about pressure.
With Tom Brady as the Bucs’ new quarterback, and Super Bowl LV scheduled to be played here in February, Hart knows the world is watching.
“Exactly, the year to have a Super Bowl and we face an issue like this,” Hart said. “The pressure is there, Tampa is, but we rise to this occasion.”
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