In a letter to the stadium seat license (SSL) holders, the Los Angeles Rams announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SoFi stadium will have limited or no capacity in 2020 and season tickets will not be possible for the 2020 season.
Season tickets will be deferred for the 2021 season, and SSL holders will have priority for 2020 single-game tickets if fans can enter the stadium during the 2020 season. All previous single-game ticket purchases and Transferred tickets will be canceled.
According to the letter, the difficult decision to defer season tickets to 2021 means:
- All subscription payment plans will be suspended.
- SSL holders who have made payments for 2020 season tickets will have the ability to save money to their account to use for 2021 season tickets or receive a refund.
- Any tickets that Season Ticket Members have resold or transferred will be returned and withdrawn.
- All individual game tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will be refunded within thirty days. If tickets were purchased through a resale market, ticket holders should visit that market’s website to review site policies or contact the site’s customer service team for assistance.
The team anticipates that the NFL will cancel preseason games, meaning the NFL’s first game at SoFi Stadium would be their first Week 1 Sunday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys on September 13. Hoping to have fans in the first game, the Rams ask fans to join them wearing a mask to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
The process for SSL holders to purchase individual game tickets will be described at a later date. Meanwhile, SSL holders have the following options:
1) Choose to exit the 2020 season: This confirms that they do not wish to attend games this season, even if fans can attend in limited capacity. SSL holders are asked to opt out by July 31, but they will retain all their non-game day benefits and will not be affected in the long term by this decision. If they apply funds for 2021 or request a refund it has no impact on their benefits.
2) Stay for the 2020 season: If fans are allowed in the stadium for any game this season, SSL holders who choose to stay in the 2020 season will receive first priority to purchase individual tickets through a process to be determined closer to game dates. . All funds paid for 2020 season tickets will be left in accounts for use on individual game tickets, if fans are allowed in the stadium.
If the Rams can finally welcome fans to the SoFi Stadium, the game days at home will look drastically different based on federal, state, local, and NFL guidelines. Some of the protocols that are likely to be in effect on game days according to current guidelines:
- Fans should always wear a face mask unless they are actively eating or drinking. This would include within clubs and suites.
- Social distancing will be applied at all times. Congregating in contests will be actively discouraged by stadium staff.
- Seating blocks will be established to promote social distancing, with a separation of 6 feet between blocks. The size of the seats will vary and can accommodate between 1 and 10 guests.
- The first seven rows of the stadium will be removed and covered with tarps to protect players and coaches.
- All purchasing stations will be strictly cashless. “Reverse ATMs” will be available in each lobby for those who need to convert cash into gift cards.
- The hand sanitizing stations will be located throughout the stadium.
- Back door parking may be available but in limited capacity and guests will not be able to congregate.
- Health assessment protocols are likely to include an exemption for all game attendees to sign before entering, as well as temperature controls for staff and potential attendees.
Regardless of what the future holds, the Rams players understand the importance of team fans and look forward to seeing them at the SoFi Stadium sometime this season.
“Well, I feel like you need fans to play,” defensive tackle Aaron Donald said in May. “I don’t see how you could play a game without fans. That would take all the excitement and fun from the game, more or less. You know (without fans, when) you make a great move, you’re just making a great move. I feel like the fans are what lifts you up. Fans are what make the game exciting. Fans are what gives you that extra juice when you’re tired and fatigued. When you make that big play and hear 80,000 fans go crazy, that just gets you excited “
“Having the fans is definitely an added bonus and I want them to be there,” cornerback Jalen Ramsey said later that month. “I feel like it would be very strange not to have the fans there. We feed on their energy, they give us momentum. They get the whole atmosphere over the top.”
For more information on game day tickets and security protocols, please visit this FAQ page.
