University administrators and police are placing emphasis on safety and fan experience with changes in and out of Ohio Stadium. Credit: Lantern File Photo
Four days stand between a currently empty Ohio Stadium and the boisterous horde that will total upwards of 100,000 fans at the Buckeyes’ home opener against Florida Atlantic Saturday.
With this influx in population comes the potential for safety concerns and logistical fan experience issues, which university administrators and the police department have sought to address with modifications to parking, commute routes, wireless connection and concessions.
“If you’re in the stadium, we work all year round, especially during football season, with our city, our county, our state and our federal law enforcement agencies to make everybody safe to keep this a family friendly-oriented event,” Kimberly Spears-McNatt, Ohio State chief of police, said.
For those driving to the stadium, the remodeled Cannon Drive is now open for passage, though Spears-McNatt said it will be restricted for inbound traffic on game days.
Parking garages will only take credit cards, as Spears-McNatt said the use of cash created delays for departing guests. Another addition to expedite the process of exiting the area after games is the open on-ramp on SR-315.
Spears-McNatt said students and fans should be familiar with what personal items are allowed before entering the stadium.
“No purses or bags allowed in the stadium,” Spears-McNatt said. “You can bring a wallet or a wristlet, but nothing larger than the size of something 5-by-8-by-1, which is pretty much the size of a half sheet of paper.”
Ryan Hooper, a fourth-year in biomedical engineering and snare drum player in the Ohio State Marching Band, said band equipment is searched by security as well as sniffed by police dogs prior to entering the stadium.
Though he said it’s a “pretty safe” environment, Hooper said he could still envision potential security risks.
“It’s a little frightening, the thought of trying to get out, because the crowd’s so big, the corridors would get pretty packed,” Hooper said.
The addition of 2,009 Wi-Fi connection access points in the stadium will grant patrons wireless connectivity, which Jim Null, senior associate athletic director for technology, said was a decision made to benefit fan experience through social media interactions.
Null said he hopes the Wi-Fi connection will eventually allow guests to purchase food and drinks from their phones in order to minimize time spent waiting in line.
Though Null said the Wi-Fi project did not include discussion about guest safety, Spears-McNatt said the ability to share information will assist in potentially preventing dangerous situations.
“Hopefully people will enjoy having Wi-Fi and they get to use it for a lot of things to share with their family and friends about their experience in the stadium, but it’s also a tool if they need to reach out to the police division, they can,” she said.
Ericka Hoon, assistant athletic director for events, said bottomless soda machines will be on A and C decks of the stadium for access to quick refills to cut down on line times. Hoon said “grab-and-go” stations will also allow patrons to purchase water and smaller food items more quickly.
“Technology is our friend, so I think some data collection really helped us figure out how long the lines are for guests and just looking at best practices around the nation at other venues that are similar to ours,” Hoon said.
Following the announcement that there will be a field-level DJ at games this season, speculation arose that this may cut into playing time for the marching band, but Hoon denied the notion Monday.
“Nothing has changed on the amount of time that the band is playing or that we are playing canned music,” Hoon said. “It is literally just a physical moving of who is playing the music and where they are playing it from.”
If fans or students see anything suspicious at home games, Spears-McNatt said don’t hesitate to contact the police. The Ohio State police non-emergency line is 614-292-2121.
