Texas Rangers allow 20 Globe Life Field games available in 2021, health and safety protocols, ticket information

Referring to the executive order of Governor Greg Abbott, which could fully open Texas businesses, the Rangers became the first major professional team in North America to announce plans to allow 100% stadium capacity at matches in 2021.

The club will wear masks, but also stresses the need for ‘voluntary compliance’ from fans, as it hopes to welcome up to 40,518 fans for the home opening on April 5 at Globe Life Field. Club officials said there would be a ‘three-strike’ policy on masks warnings before any action is taken. The governor’s mandates enable businesses to determine their own policies on mandates.

Single tickets for two March exhibitions and April home matches will go on sale on March 22nd. The date for the sale of tickets for later months is not yet known. Part of the Rangers’ opening includes free tickets for a number of local health workers at the front line for exhibits against Milwaukee on March 29-30.

“We were very encouraged that the Governors’ Office gave us permission to fully open Globe Life Field at the start of the 2021 Major League Baseball season,” said Rangers president Neil Leibman, chief operating officer and chief operating officer. “We are confident that we can do this in a responsible and safe way. There is so much pent-up demand for people who want to go to events in a safe environment.

“They want to watch baseball, and they want to watch it open in the new stadium,” Leibman added. “I think so, with all the protocols we follow, we will be very responsible and provide a very comfortable environment for someone to enjoy the game without worrying about us being a distributor.”

The Rangers cited the following CDC guidelines and were in touch with local authorities on public policy on their policies, but declined to say whether they had consulted any external independent experts on infectious diseases and their spread.

Despite the aggressive opening of the state, however, the Rangers will take the position alone. The Houston Astros will likely build seats depending on the season, but do not plan to fully open the seats at Minute Maid Park, Anita Seghal, vice president of marketing and communications, told the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday.

Other MLB clubs announced plans in 2021 to allow fans in limited capacity for games, but no team announced an allowance of more than the 21,000 fans (42.6 percent of capacity) that would allow the Colorado Rockies to attend matches at Coors Field. . The Rockies got a special waiver from the state of Colorado to allow fans. The state of Maryland recently announced that sports halls could allow up to 50 percent capacity, but the Baltimore Orioles have not yet announced official plans.

MLB officials have repeatedly said they will reject local health officials to determine the appropriate capacity, but the league makes no official comment on the Rangers plan. MLB has released a long line of COVID protocols aimed at protecting players and staff ahead of spring training, but it did not include anything about the crowd.

In Arlington, the Rangers will dig up plexiglass dividers on top and install the bullpen to further protect against the spread of COVID. With the plexiglass barriers, fans can sit in the first few rows of seats, which were previously banned as part of MLB’s protocols. But according to Rangers officials, the buffer zones for this year have been ‘refined’.

Excluding rain, the Rangers play all the games at Globe Life Field with the roof open for the foreseeable future to improve ventilation. In the event that the roof needs to be closed, the Rangers call a modern ventilation system that has been used regularly in the ten months since Globe Life Field began allowing customers, first for high school education, then for MLB. post-season games, the national final Rodeo and a recent college baseball tournament. More than 400,000 fans have attended events at the Globe Life Field since May.

All transactions will also be cashless and these will be measures that take measures when they go in and out.

At the heart of the Rangers plan, however, is the reliance on supporters to comply with the mask mandate. Executive Vice President of Business Operations Rob Matwick said fans are not allowed to enter without a mask. Masks are provided for those who do not arrive in the stadium with one. Fans may only take off masks while eating and drinking, which can be a vague line.

“We will need supporter cooperation, there is no doubt,” Matwick said. ‘I always think voluntary compliance. First of all, we are going to ask fans to help us comply with the rules. We are going to ask yes to please help us comply with the rules. Active eating and drinking; I think ‘active’ is the key word. When people walk around with a sealed bottle and [no mask], it’s getting a little more challenging. We need fans to help us. ”

How the Rangers would apply the mask policy to fans in violation of the mandate remains unclear. Matwick said the team wants to take a “three-strike” approach during games for people who need soft memories. When a fan would be asked to leave – and who would apply for it – is not detailed.

“Of course we have the right to do that if they do not comply with the rules,” Matwick said. ‘I mean, it’s just like using obscene language or any other of the ball rules we have. We have the right to ask someone to leave. Can we do that? Absolutely. Do we want to do that? No, we do not. But I think there is a simple way to avoid it: Just follow the rule. ‘

The biggest problem is probably the opening day, usually a sale. After that, attendance usually drops dramatically. The Rangers, for example, have averaged just 26,000 fans per game for each of the last two years at Globe Life Park. During the 2019 season, they used less than half of the stadium’s capacity for 31 of 81 home games. But before the pandemic, the Rangers also relied on the novelty of the new stadium to attract larger crowds.

Another issue related to the opening day – tailgating – is banned in parking lots around the stadium.

After the opening day, the team plans to use several sections as ‘distance seats’, with tickets sold in pod groups, with appropriate social distance between seats. The number of sections used for distance seating may vary depending on the total demand for tickets.

A look at the club’s policies and ticket protocols:

Health and safety protocols for games this year at Globe Life Field:

• Masks are required for all fans, except when eating or drinking actively in their seats, including all gatherings and when entering the stadium

• Hand disinfection stations will be available throughout the ballpark.

• Globe Life Field will remain cashless. All tickets will be digital and only credit cards will be accepted at concession sites and retail locations.

• No bags are allowed, except for medical reasons or diaper bags that accompany babies and young children.

• Health and safety protocols regarding the sit-down and playing field are still being finalized between the Rangers and Major League Baseball.

Single ticket information:

• Single match tickets for all March and April matches, except the home opening (April 5), will be on sale on Monday, March 22 at 10 a.m. at texasrangers.com or by calling 972RANGERS. These include exhibition games against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 29 and 30 and 13 games in the regular season in April.

• Ticket information for the rest of the home schedule for the regular season will be announced later.

Season ticket information:

• All Rangers season ticket holders have full access to their tickets for 2021, with the exhibits against the Brewers.

This story will be updated.

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