Iowa football ticket sales 'very strong' ahead of season opener against Indiana; no change in mask policy

IOWA CITY, Ia. — Iowa’s first home football game with full-capacity access fans since November 2019 is approaching sellout status.

The Hawkeyes have about 5,000 tickets remaining for the Sept. 4 opener against Indiana.

“Ticket sales are still very strong,” senior associate athletics director Matt Henderson told The Register on Friday, ahead of the football program’s annual media day. “We anticipate that we’ll be very close, if not sold out, for a great home opener.”

Henderson said that for the season, ticket sales are "ahead of where we were in 2019," when the Hawkeyes averaged 65,557 fans for seven home games at Kinnick Stadium (capacity 69,250). About 48,000 season tickets have been sold, which is on par with 2019 numbers. That includes nearly 9,000 student season tickets, which are sold out.

Iowa's home schedule of games is: Indiana (Sept. 4), Kent State (Sept. 18), Colorado State (Sept. 25), Penn State (Oct. 9), Purdue (Oct. 16), Minnesota (Nov. 13) and Illinois (Nov. 20).

More:What to know about the Iowa Hawkeyes' 2021 football schedule

A few other quick updates provided Friday:

There is no change to COVID vaccination or mask policies.

While the university’s message to fans is “get vaccinated,” masks are not required to enter the stadium even with COVID-19 spikes across Iowa. The university is encouraging unvaccinated fans to wear masks, and capacity won’t be limited.

“We are planning for full crowds,” Henderson said.

Tulane on Thursday became the first FBS program to require vaccinations or a negative COVID-19 test to attend home games. Earlier this week, Ohio State said it would require mask use in indoor spaces (such as elevators and restrooms) at Ohio Stadium.

Logistics for beer and wine sales are in the final stages.

The introduction of alcohol sales throughout Kinnick has led the university to some key changes. Entrances on the East and West side of the stadium will now be closed (except to suite ticketholders), with those areas now being used for alcohol sales.

Additionally, the Krause Family Plaza will now be part of the stadium. It will open up after the “Hawk Walk,” about 90 minutes before kickoff, for fans to enjoy food and drink.

There will be five gates open to fans on game days — in the four corners and the Krause Family Plaza (Gate A). “Kind of like the pro stadium model,” Henderson said, adding that more lines of entry are being added.

A full list of available beers was still being finalized, but Henderson said Budweiser products (including Bud Light and Busch Light), as well as craft offerings (including Big Grove and Single Speed), would be part of the menu.

Tickets are mobile, and concessions will be cashless.

This actually was implemented last year when players’ families/friends were the only ones allowed in Kinnick, but this is new for most fans. Henderson realizes the transition to mobile tickets comes with a lot of questions and encouraged fans to visit HawkeyeSports.com/footballgameday for answers.

“Overall, it’s gone very smooth. We understand for some there could be some bumps,” Henderson said. “We’ve got people ready to help now and up until game time."