Ball Arena Set To Host Fans At 22% Capacity For Avalanche Games

DENVER, CO — The Ball Arena received approval from state public health officials to host Colorado Avalanche games at 22 percent capacity beginning April 2, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment announced Thursday.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment granted the variance, which allows the arena to welcome 4,050 fans for each game.

"We are thrilled to welcome Avalanche and Nuggets fans to the newly named Ball Arena for the first time," said Stan Kroenke, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment's chairman and owner.

"We are grateful to local, state and national health authorities who collaborated with us to get to this point. We also would like to thank our partners at the NHL and NBA, who have worked tirelessly to ensure a safe return for our fans. This is a major first step in our quest to have a fully packed arena again with some of the greatest fans in sports."

The company worked with federal, state and local public health agencies to create protocols and safety measures for the arena, Kroenke said.

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"The health, safety and wellness of our fans, staff, athletes and frontline workers remain the most critical priorities for our organization," Kroenke said in a statement.

"We will continue to work with health authorities and the leadership at the NBA and NHL to safely monitor ongoing public health matters. We'll be prepared to adapt accordingly to their ongoing recommendations."

Front-line staff, health care providers and first responders will be able to attend the Nuggets game on March 30 and Avalanche game on March 31 before the first game for fans who have tickets on April 2, Kroenke said.

"We are indebted to the immeasurable dedication of frontline workers throughout the pandemic to keep our community safe," Kroenke's statement read.

"We look forward to hosting several of them and honoring their heroic efforts during our first games back with fans."

First access to tickets will be given to Avalanche and Nuggets ticket plan holders and partners through a series of presales. A very limited number of seats will be available to the general public. Ticket sales information for games with fans starting on April 2 will be sent to ticket plan holders through email soon, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment said.