Loyola Director of Athletics Steve Watson sent this message regarding the 2020-21 season to Rambler men's basketball season tickets holders last week.
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Thank you for your patience and understanding as we determine the best course of action in regards to basketball season with the ongoing pandemic. With the NCAA announcing the new start date for college basketball season, we have made the following decision to help you plan for the year:
While there is still uncertainty regarding fan attendance for this season, any tickets for games at Gentile Arena during the 2020-21 season will ONLY be available on a single-game basis. There will NOT be season ticket options for this year, but existing season ticket holders will have priority in purchasing tickets on a game-by-game basis if attendance is permitted.
Please note this season will be treated as a gap year, meaning all season ticket holders will have the first opportunity to renew their original seats for the 2021-22 season. And again, existing season ticket holders will receive priority to purchase any single-game tickets ahead of the general public. Details regarding the single-game ticket process will be announced at a later date.Â
We understand this is a significant change, however we believe this represents the most fair and safe way to distribute tickets for the 2020-21 season. In the interest of transparency, the rationale for arriving at this decision is listed below:
- With the course of the virus constantly changing, we recognized the need to be flexible. Single-game tickets allow us to remain nimble if capacity limits increase or decrease throughout the year or if there are unexpected changes to the schedule.
- There is a strong possibility that there will be a reduction in permitted capacity in Gentile for this season. Having only single-game tickets available allows us to maximize our capacity for each game and gives us as much of a home-court advantage as possible.
- Given the COVID-19 health guidelines, single-game tickets will allow us to better provide physical distance between each group of fans at each game.Â
Please note all ticket operations are contingent on spectators being permitted to attend games in person at Gentile Arena. This is subject to change based on University, City, and State guidelines and recommendations.