Following a lengthy discussion at the board of education meeting two weeks ago, Gilmer High School has adopted more concrete plans for the football home opener Sept. 11 versus Fannin County.
GHS principal Carla Foley and athletic director Matt Johnson spoke to the Times-Courier Monday to outline precautions and procedures in place.
Admission to home games is $7 and fans are urged to buy in advance. Single game tickets are available the week of home games at the GHS front office. Season passes are available for $30.
Home parking can only be accessed via Legion Road. Handicap parking is located in the lot behind the press box and VIP parking is inside the fenced area of the old bus garage.
Remaining home fans should park in the lots on the GHS campus. There is no charge for parking this year, nor will buses be used to shuttle fans down the hill to the stadium.
All GHS fans must enter Huff-Mosley Memorial Stadium through the top entrance.
The parking lots behind and in front of the Larry Walker Education Center are reserved for away fans for the Fannin game. All away fans must enter through the lower gate next to the visitor’s locker room.
Fannin’s band will be seated in the area behind the end zone and its students will sit with away fans on the visitor’s side. Gilmer’s band and student section will both be seated in the home stands.
Fans should stick to their respective side of the stadium and are strongly encouraged to social distance and wear masks.
Concessions such as pizza and hamburgers will be prepared and packaged off site by Serve Safe certified staff. The home concession stand will only use the side windows. There will be a separate concession stand for home students and band members.
Preliminary talks resulted in fellow Region 7-3A schools limiting their home stadium capacity to 30 to 50 percent. When asked what percentage of Huff-Mosley will be filled, a definitive answer was not provided.
“We’re excited to welcome Bobcat fans to the stadium this year,” Foley said. “The stadium has been marked with social distancing markers. We’re encouraging everyone to socially distance among their groups and families and enjoy the game.”
Johnson added, “We’re really excited to kick off the football season and a lot has gone into it to ensure we are best promoting safety in the situation we’re dealing with now.”
Plans for home games beyond the Fannin opener remain flexible and could be altered.
For this Friday’s game at Pickens, GHS fans are to enter the stadium and walk down the hill on the scoreboard side to pay admittance. GHS students will sit in the visitor stands with Bobcat fans and the band will be located behind the end zone.
Pickens’ game tickets are $8 at the gate.