Five games into its football season, North Carolina is again changing the way students can acquire tickets.
Last year, all students needed to do was present their One Card at the gate and they were in. For the past three home games the football team has played this season, students needed to access an online portal to reserve tickets 10 days in advance.
That system was put in place after a debacle during the 2018 game against Virginia Tech, when students swarmed the gates and many were turned away due to the stadium being filled to capacity.
Problems became apparent during the second home game against Appalachian State when the portal's servers crashed, leaving students out in the cold and prompting outcry from students over the new system.
The team announced in an email Thursday night that it was implementing a lottery system, similar to how students get basketball tickets. The new system will go into effect for the game against Duke on Oct. 26, the next home game the Tar Heels are scheduled to play after a two-game road trip.
"After listening to your feedback about the student ticket process and consulting with the leadership of the Carolina Athletic Association (CAA) and Carolina Fever student organizations, we have decided to modify the process to alleviate as many concerns as possible," the email said.
Now, students will enter into a lottery through a ticket portal, which opens at 9 a.m. 10 days before a home game and stays open for 48 hours. The email said all entries within the time period will have an equal opportunity of being chosen.
The UNC Ticket Office could not be reached during the time of writing.
Winners of the lottery will receive just one personal ticket, as opposed to the basketball lottery, which typically gives two per winner.
