Penn State Will Play With No Fans This Fall

PENNSYLVANIA — Penn State University will not allow fans into their football stadiums, or any other sporting venue, to begin the fall 2020 season, officials confirmed on Thursday. However, the university did not rule out the possibility to change that plan as the year progresses and the course of the coronavirus pandemic in the state shifts.

The news came in an open letter to the school community from athletic director Sandy Barbour, who noted Gov. Wolf's restrictions on gatherings of more than 250 people for an outside event.

"Under the current conditions and current state orders, our fall sports events would be conducted without fans in the general seating areas of our facilities," Barbour wrote. "We continue to work with the Governor's office to discuss, and possibly be prepared for the opportunity to have spectators at our fall Penn State sporting events."

The Big Ten finalized their 2020 football schedule this week, and other sports are expected to do the same in the coming days. It's yet another wrinkle to the reopening strategies employed by universities and colleges around the country, as many, like Penn State, look for ways to safely bring students back to campus.

Barbour clarified that the university would only change course and allow fans at events if the restrictions put in place by Gov. Wolf and the Pennsylvania Department of Health were lifted.

On Thursday, Gov. Wolf recommended that there be no youth or high school sports in Pennsylvania until Jan. 2021. This statement came in the form of guidance, not an order.

"The guidance is that we ought to avoid any congregate settings, and that means anything that brings people together is going to help that virus get us," Wolf said. "Anytime we get together for any reason, that's a problem."

Barbour said Penn State would suffer revenue losses in the "high eight figures" due to the loss of fans.

Penn State's football season is tentatively scheduled to begin at home against Northwestern on Sept. 5. For the full schedule, see here.