Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich said Friday students this year will be part of the 19,000 fans allowed inside Memorial Stadium this football season.

The students will be placed in one of the upper decks at Death Valley. The athletic director said about 2,300 students will be seated in the south upper deck this season. He also added Tiger Band will be on the hill as part of the game day experience.

Radakovich also said out of the 58,000 season ticket holders this season that 23,000 (40 percent) have chosen to “redshirt” the year. Clemson will also allow a maximum of 200 visitors from the visiting team on game days.

Radakovich said with the stadium’s capacity being dropped from 81,500 to 19,000 this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be about a $40 million hit to the athletic department’s revenue.

Also, Radakovich said the athletic department performed another 622 COVID-19 tests on its student-athletes this week and there have been no positive test.

On Thursday, Clemson Athletics received approval from the South Carolina Department of Commerce on to welcome spectators at fall sport home facilities, including Memorial Stadium, Historic Riggs Field and Jervey Gym. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster outlined a procedure for exceptions to gathering restrictions in an Executive Order filed Aug. 2.

“We are thankful for the careful review and approval from Governor McMaster, the South Carolina Department of Commerce and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control for our plan to host fans in our venues this fall,” said Radakovich. “Our IPTAY and athletic staff have worked tirelessly and taken a comprehensive look at the gameday experience. “Clemson sought input from external medical, public health and facility planning experts during the process, as well as the University Strategic Operations Group.

“With the information available today, we are confident in our ability to safely allow fans at games, which is incredibly important to our student-athletes, coaches, fans and local community. We’ll continue to monitor guidance and make adjustments if necessary.”

Clemson Athletics and IPTAY will be reaching out to donors who did not choose a redshirt option via email on Friday morning with more details on football ticket and parking availability. Detail on Premium Seating will also be handled directly.

As part of the plan, Clemson’s Memorial Stadium capacity will be reduced to approximately 19,000 fans, based on six feet of social distance among outdoor seating pods. Death Valley’s regular capacity is 81,500. Fans will be seated primarily in pods of two and four affiliated guests throughout the stadium.

Parking areas will open three hours prior to announced kickoff times and fans are asked to refrain from tailgating during the 2020 season. Tents and trailers are prohibited.

 In addition, capacity for volleyball in Jervey Gym will be 250 fans, and soccer matches at Riggs Field will host up to approximately 1,000 fans.

Clemson Athletic officials and IPTAY staff considered 10 different seating configurations for Memorial Stadium. The proposed blended model provides both the opportunity for social distancing in the stands and the ability to include as many IPTAY donors and students as possible during the season. IPTAY donors will be assigned seating in order of giving level and priority points, with caps on the amount of tickets available to each account.

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