Washington Teams Gear Up To Welcome Fans Back In April

SEATTLE — On the heels of Gov. Jay Inslee's Phase 3 reopening announcement, many of Washington's favorite sports teams wasted no time in unveiling plans to welcome fans back to the stands.

Under the governor's direction, all 39 counties will enter Phase 3 together on March 22, expanding what's allowed indoors and restoring major spectator events with limited capacity. As a result, thousands of fans can attend the Seattle Mariners opening night, scheduled for April 1. There is cause for excitement for soccer fans, too: Both the Sounders and OL Reign have confirmed fan participation for their April home matches.

Here's what we know so far:

Seattle Mariners open ticket sales in late March

T-Mobile Park will play host for the first major spectator event in more than a year, welcoming up to 9,000 Mariners fans on April 1. The team was ready to go with a safety plan and ticket schedule. Season ticket holders will get the first shot at tickets, followed by presale tickets opening March 24, and single-game tickets on sale March 25.

The team published a detailed list of what to expect for opening night, including enhanced cleaning measures, distancing protocols and other efforts to limit contact between strangers.

Here a few of the highlights listed on the Mariners website:

• Capacity levels for the ballpark are based on guidelines in the Healthy Washington Roadmap to Recovery plan.
• Social distancing will be enforced in all areas of the ballpark including concourses and seating areas.
• Tickets will be available for advanced sale only in pods of 1-6 fans who are part of the same household unit.
• Limited ticket inventory will be offered first to existing Mariners Season Ticket Members.
• Any remaining inventory would be offered to single-game buyers in pods of 1-6 tickets.
• Initially, tickets will be offered in phases as capacity limits are determined.
• Self-scan mobile tickets.
• No bags speeds entry and reduces staff-to-fan cross-contamination.
• Cashless transactions for concessions and merchandise with credit, debit or mobile pay (such as Apple Pay or Google Pay) only.
• Daily cleaning and disinfection of the entire facility, with particular attention paid to high traffic touchpoints such as handles, common areas, elevators, restrooms, etc., using EPA approved disinfectant products.
• Use of electrostatic sprayers to apply an electrically charged, broad-spectrum disinfecting solution that is formulated to target suspected or known presence of COVID-19 but is non-toxic to humans.

T-Mobile Park said it built the protocols based on input from a wide range of public health experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, Virginia Mason and the University of Washington.

Sounders FC welcomes fans for April 16 season opener

The Rave Green will be in the stands at Lumen Field for the first time since last March, as the Seattle Sounders host Minnesota United for the season opener on April 16.

"Since our gates closed to the public nearly one year ago to this day, we have been waiting for the moment to safely gather together again in support of this team that means so much to us all," said Peter Tomozawa, president of business operations for Sounders FC. "We have said all along that public health and safety must come first before welcoming fans back, and while today's news provides the type of hope and inspiration we all need right now, we will continue to take a methodical approach in implementing this process alongside regional health authorities, our partners at Lumen field and MLS."

Exact details on the number of fans and how many tickets will be available to the general public are still being finalized. Tomozawa said more details would be shared in the days ahead, as the team works closely with its partners to work out the specifics. Lumen Field shares similar protocols to T-Mobile Park, including touchless pay, enhanced disinfection and physical distancing measures.

Once the Sounders determine how many fans can safely attend the match, season ticket holders will have first dibs, with news to come through e-mail. If there are enough tickets left, more tickets will be opened up for sale to the general public. Fans can sign up for e-mail alerts to get notified the moment tickets go on sale.

Cheney Stadium will allow fans for April 16 OL Reign match

The OL Reign said it anticipates fans will also be welcome at Tacoma's Cheney Stadium for an April 16 match versus the Houston Dash. More details on capacity, ticketing and stadium safety protocols are pending.

Under Phase 3 directives, large outdoor venues with permanent seating can generally operate at 25 percent capacity, up to 9,000 people. Events in smaller indoor and outdoor facilities are capped at 50 percent, or 400 people maximum. The rules also allow for high school sports with spectators using similar guidelines. Inslee said capacity limits would be revaluated in April and may be increased again if the state's coronavirus situation continues to improve.

State guidelines require designated seating and tickets sold in groups containing no more than eight members. Each group of spectators must be six feet from other spectators. Suites and other indoor areas will be limited to 25 percent capacity and must keep windows open at all times. Each facility must maintain controlled entrance and exit points and monitor the precise attendance count.

Read the complete parameters for spectator events on the governor's website.