The Mountain Brook High School varsity football team will open its season at home against Huntsville on Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, game day at Spartan Stadium will look different during the 2020 season than in years past. 

In the interest of public health and safety, spectator seating will be limited to 15% capacity to ensure compliance with physical distancing guidelines outlined by state and local health officials. Additionally, spectators must wear face coverings to enter and remain in the stadium. 

“I think this is the best plan we can have to host a game responsibly,” MBHS Athletics Director Benny Eaves said. “Instead of targeting a specific capacity percentage, we looked at our available seating and examined various possibilities of how we might seat spectators while following health and safety guidelines." 

MBHS has pre-sold season tickets to the parents of varsity football players, cheerleaders, band members, and Dorians dancers. Family members will sit in pairs in assigned seats spaced 6 feet apart. 

There also will be a student section spread among the three middle sections of the stadium nearest the track. It will consist of 73 seats, each spaced 6 feet apart. Students can claim tickets for free via the GoFan online ticketing platform the Monday before the game, with seniors receiving top priority.

A small number of additional tickets could become available to the public if seats in the visitor’s section go unclaimed by the visiting team. Ticket availability will be announced the Wednesday afternoon before the game through the Mountain Brook Athletics (@mbs_athletics) and Mountain Brook football (@MtnBrookFTBL) Twitter accounts.

Anyone purchasing these remaining tickets must sit in the visitor’s section and practice physical distancing since all seats in the Mountain Brook sections are assigned.

“We have a wonderful community with people who love to support our schools and attend our games,” Eaves said. “We wish we could accommodate everybody, but we feel like it is important to give priority to families so they can watch their students play and perform.” 

Those who attend MBHS home games should prepare for a cashless game day experience and plan to remain off the field at all times. Only essential personnel will be allowed on the sidelines. Those who can’t attend will be able to live stream the event by subscribing to the NFHS Network. A portion of the proceeds benefits MBHS.