FARGO — Ladies and gentlemen, start your Bison buses. Or your vans. Or your SUV that pulls a tailgating trailer. Or whatever else you use on a Saturday morning in the fall on the west parking lot of the Fargodome.
North Dakota State on Monday announced it will return to full capacity at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome and will allow tailgating at Bison football games. It follows the state of North Dakota lowering protocols with the COVID-19 pandemic and an OK from the university and local government.
“People are looking to get back to normal and this is a big step in that direction,” said NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen. “People’s normal activities on a Saturday are Bison football and to do it in person and to have real tailgating and a home field advantage, it’s incredibly important.”
It’s an important step for NDSU’s athletic budget, with everything associated with football driving between 75 to 80 percent of it. It’s been a process to get to 100 percent capacity.
The Bison played Central Arkansas last fall with a few hundred friends and family in attendance. The spring schedule carried a 50 percent capacity maximum (9,500) and the crowds didn’t reach that level.
The top draw was the University of North Dakota with 9,121 fans. Next in line was South Dakota State (8,762), Youngstown State (6,578) and Illinois State (6,145). The Division I FCS first round playoff game against Eastern Washington had an NCAA-imposed 25 percent capacity and that one drew 3,587.
“There’s a difference between 19,000 and 8,000,” Larsen said.
NDSU season ticket holders were given the option of claiming their tickets, opting out of the spring with no penalty or donating their dues to the athletic department. Invoices for 2021 season tickets were mailed last week and renewals are due June 1.
About the only way NDSU doesn’t have 100 percent capacity for the dome is if the pandemic numbers were to reverse course and constrict the state again.
“A lot of questions we’ve received from people opting out is they’re looking forward to the fall and a lot of their decision making is predicated on full capacity and tailgating,” Larsen said.
And that attitude includes the decision makers. Larsen said it wasn’t nearly the same this spring with an empty parking lot and empty seats.
“College football is about the pageantry and the fan base,” he said. “When I drive in, part of my game day is to make sure I drive by the tailgating lot. If that doesn’t get you excited, you have to check your pulse. And the opportunity to walk around and say hello, you can feel the passion and energy and we saw that this year without having it. It’s a huge part of the game day atmosphere.”
The home opener is Sept. 4 against Albany State (N.Y.) followed a week later against Valparaiso (Ind.). The Missouri Valley Football Conference home games are Northern Iowa, Missouri State, Indiana State and South Dakota.
“Right now, the decision is made, we’re moving forward,” Larsen said. “About the only thing that would adjust it were if the numbers in the state drastically went the wrong direction.”
