Texas Rangers to allow full capacity for sports in 2021 for Globe Life Field, health and safety protocol, ticket information

Citing Greg Abbott’s executive order allowing Texas businesses to fully open, the Rangers became the first major professional team in North America to announce plans to allow 100% stadium capacity in sports in 2021.

The club will make wearing a mask mandatory, but also stressed the need for “voluntary compliance” from fans, as it expects to welcome 40,518 fans to the April 5 home opener at the Globe Life Field. Club officials said there would be a “three-strike” policy on warnings about masks before any action is taken. Governor’s orders allow businesses to set their own policies on the order.

Single-game tickets for the two March exhibitions and the April Home Games will go on sale March 22. Ticket sales dates for the following months are yet to be announced. The opening part of the Rangers on March 29-30 will include free tickets for many local frontline healthcare workers for demonstrations against the Milwaukee.

“We are very encouraged that the Governor’s Office has allowed us to fully open the Globe Life Field at the start of the 2021 Major League Baseball season,” said Neil Liebman, President and COO of Business Operations Rangers. “We are confident that we can do this responsibly and safely. There is a lot of demand for people who want to go to events in a safe environment.

“They want to see baseball, and they’d love to see it in the new stadium with the roof open,” Leibman added. “So I think with the protocol we’re following, we’ll be very responsible and provide a very comfortable environment for someone to enjoy the game, without having to worry if we’re going to be a spreader event.”

Rangers cited CDC guidelines and contacted local public health officials about their policy, but declined to say whether they had contacted any independent experts on infectious diseases and their spread.

Despite the state’s aggressive opening, the Rangers, however, will take on the position alone. The Houston Astros may be able to keep up with the progress of the season, but there are no plans to fully open the meeting at Minute Maid Park, Anita Segal, vice president of marketing and communications, told the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday.

Other MLB clubs have begun announcing plans to allow limited-capacity fans into the sport in 2021, but no team has announced allowances for more than 21,000 fans (42.6 percent of capacity) that will allow them to participate in sports in the Colorado Rockies course field. . The Rockies received a special variation from the state of Colorado to allow many fans. The state of Maryland recently announced that sports venues could allow up to 50 percent capacity, but the Baltimore rials have not yet announced official plans.

MLB officials have repeatedly said they will defer to local health officials to determine the appropriate capacity, but the league has made no official comment on the Rangers’ plan. The MLB introduced a long set of COVID protocols aimed at rescuing players and staff prior to spring training, but did not include anything in terms of crowd size.

In Arlington, Rangers will install Plexiglass dividers on top of dugouts and on top of bullpen to further protect against the spread of COVID. Plexiglass barriers will allow fans to sit on the first few rows of the seat, which was previously restricted as part of the MLB protocols. But, Rangers officials said, the buffer zones have been “refined” for this year.

With the exception of the rain, the Rangers play all the games in the Globe Life Field, with a roof for the future to improve ventilation. In the event the roof must be closed, Rangers commissioned a state-of-the-art ventilation system used by the Globe Life Field several times over 10 months, first for high school graduates, then for postseason games for MLBs, national finals rodeos and the latest college baseball. Tournament. More than 400,000 fans have attended the Globe Life Field since May.

All transactions will also be cashless and will be a social-distance measure taken after entry and exit.

At the heart of the Rangers’ plan, however, is the reliance on fans to follow the mask command. Rob Matwick, executive vice president of business rations operations, said fans would not be allowed to enter without masks. Those who do not come to the stadium together will be given a mask. Fans will only be allowed to take off the mask while eating and drinking, which can be a blurry line.

“We’ll need fan collaboration, no doubt about it,” Matwick said. “I always think of voluntary compliance. So first and foremost, we will ask fans to help follow the rules. Going to do it again, please ask yes to help us follow the rules. Active eating and drinking; I think ‘active’ is the key word. If people are walking around with sealed bottles and [no mask], It becomes a little more challenging. We need fans to help us. “

It is unclear how Rangers will apply the mask policy to fans when violating the order. Mattvik said the team would prefer a “three strike” approach during games for those who need mild reminders. When a fan will be asked to go – and who will implement it – it was not in detail.

“We obviously have the right to do that if they don’t follow the rules,” Matwick said. “I mean, it’s just like using obscene language or the rules of Barclap Park we have. We have the right to tell someone to go. Can we do that? Absolutely. Do we want that? No, we don’t. But I think there is an easy way to avoid it: just follow the rule.

Probably the biggest issue is the opening day, usually sales. After that, attendance usually decreases dramatically. Rangers, for example, averaged just 26,000 fans per game for the final two years at Globe Life Park. During the 2019 season, they pulled less than half the capacity of the stadium for 31 of the 81 home games. But before the epidemic, Rangers were also counting on the innovation of the new stadium to draw large crowds.

Another issue related to the opening day – telegating – will be restricted to parking around the stadium.

After the opening day, the team plans to use some sections as “Disturbed Seating” with tickets sold in appropriate social-spaced pod groups between seats. The number of sections used for inter-seating may vary depending on the overall ticket demand.

A look at the club’s policies and protocols for ticketing:

The Health and Safety Protocol for Sports at the Globe Life Field this year:

Fans require masks for all fans when actively eating or drinking at their seats, except for all joints and at the time of entering the stadium

• Hand sanitizing stations will be available during the park.

Globe Life Field will be cashless. All tickets will be digital and only credit cards will be accepted at discount stands and retail locations.

No bags other than diaper bags manufactured for medical reasons or with infants and young children will be allowed.

The health and safety protocol regarding the seating bowl and playing field between the Bowl Rangers and the Major League Baseball has yet to be finalized.

A game ticket information:

Single-game tickets for all March and April games, except for the Open Home Opener (April-April), will go on sale on Monday, March 22, at 10 a.m. on Texarengers.com or by calling 972 Rangers. These include performance games against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 29-30 and 13 regular-season games in April.

Regular single-game ticket information for the remaining regular season home schedule will be announced at a later date.

Season ticket information:

Rangers All Rangers season ticket holders will have full access to their ticketed seats for the 2021 season, starting with performances against the Brewers.

This story will be updated.

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