New year, new head coach, new student ticket policy.
This year, the UNC football program is experiencing a multitude of changes. One of them is how students will get admission to home games.
In previous years, students were able to show up to the gates at Kenan Memorial Stadium on game day, swipe their OneCard and cheer on the Tar Heel football team without a ticket. That policy has since changed, according to a release from the athletics department. The University will now require students to claim a ticket in advance to the day of the game, in addition to showing their OneCard.
“Students will receive an email approximately 10 days before each home game directing them to log in to their student account and claim their ticket,” according to the 2019 Football Student Ticket Policy released online.
Admissions are still free, but this policy is strictly for full-time students who have paid athletic fees and is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Students who have claimed a ticket are encouraged to arrive at least an hour and a half before kickoff, while students who have not claimed tickets can still arrive at Kenan Stadium to possibly receive a ticket on standby if there is still availability.
Gerry Lajoie, senior assistant director of athletics and ticket operations, said this new change has been implemented in response in large part to the disorganization at last year’s home game against Virginia Tech, which resulted in students swarming the gates and not being admitted due to the stadium reaching max capacity. He added that with this year’s highly anticipated football schedule, more organization is necessary.
“Certainly the excitement of Coach Brown being there is a part of (the reason for a new policy)," Lajoie said. “... I like our entire schedule, but there are certainly some games I think will have really, really good student turnout.”
This year’s home schedule features matchups against Miami, Appalachian State, Clemson, Duke, Virginia and Mercer. These games against tough opponents are certainly expected to draw large crowds of alumni and students alike, making pre-game ticket claims helpful to UNC for preparation and safety.
