Four-seat pods.
Grab-and-go concessions.
Cashless payment.
Welcome to Gamecock Football in 2020 at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The delayed start to the 2020 season kicks off Saturday as the SEC teams begin their 10-game conference-only schedule which was backed up to give schools extra time to prepare while dealing with the coronavirus.
At Williams-Brice Stadium, the game day activities will start at 5:00 p.m., two and a half hours prior to kickoff, as the parking lots operated by the athletics department will open. Gates to the stadium will open two hours before kickoff or 5:30 p.m. The goal is for fans to arrive, park, go to the game and then head to the house. The large gatherings of tailgating will be discouraged.
Once fans arrive inside the stadium, they will see Chairback seats making up a four-seat pods with two pods per row. In the concession stands, no cash will be exchanged. It's all cashless payment. Instead of going up to the counter to order and pick up food, concessions will be "grab and go".
Gamecock senior associated athletics director for administration Chris Rogers served as a media tour guide Wednesday as the athletics department unveiled its health and safety protocols in this COVID-19 climate.
Rogers says fans who come to the game should be prepared for those changes but if everyone follows the guidelines that have been laid out, that will increase the chances that football at Williams-Brice Stadium will be played as scheduled.