ATLANTA - There is no room for negotiation on one key point as Atlanta organizers consider multiple contingency plans for three season-opening Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games during the coronavirus pandemic: Without fans, the trio of college football matchups can't be played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl president Gary Stokan, whose organization is making plans for the Florida State-West Virginia (Sept. 5), Georgia-Virginia (Sept. 7) and North Carolina-Auburn (Sept. 12) games, said fans must be allowed for the contests to be played at the home stadium of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC of Major League Soccer.
"If there are no fans allowed in the stadium, then we can't do these games primarily because we only exist in our budget on ticket revenue and sponsor revenues," Stokan told The Associated Press on Thursday. "All the TV monies are negotiated in a conference package. That money all goes to the conference."
This is the first year Stokan's committee has planned three kickoff games on the neutral field. The committee stages the Peach Bowl, part of the College Football Playoff.
Stokan is awaiting decisions from the Atlantic Coast, Big 12 and Southeastern Conferences on plans for the 2020 season. Those plans could be announced by the end of the month. If the leagues rule out nonconference games, a move already made by both the Big Ten and Pac-12, the kickoff games would not be played.
One or more of the kickoff games also might not survive if the leagues decide to play conference games plus one nonconference game. That plan would protect such rivalries as Georgia Tech-Georgia and Florida State-Florida but might not leave room for the nonconference spotlight openers.
The coronavirus pandemic already has led to the cancellation or postponement of more than 300 Division I games, and the season could be pushed back one month or to the spring. Stokan said he has assurances that dates will be found at Mercedes-Benz Stadium if the games are rescheduled for later dates.
AP photo by Vasha Hunt / Aubie hangs out with Auburn Tigers fans during the first half of the Iron Bowl matchup against visiting Alabama on Nov. 30, 2019.The Falcons told season ticket holders this week they plan to have 10,000 to 20,000 fans at their home games this season. The NFL team plans to leave 50,000 or more seats open to achieve necessary physical distancing for health and safety. The stadium can be configured for 75,000 fans for college football.
Stokan said his committee is devising a plan with Ticketmaster "on software that would allow us to use the social distancing mechanism of six feet that would allow us to stay safe."
Stokan said he has been told the conferences are studying the impacts of players returning to workouts at college facilities, students returning to campuses and professional sports returning to competition. Most professional sports initially returned without fans, but NASCAR has allowed some fans in its recent races.
It may be difficult for the conferences to have as much information as is needed to make the decision by the end of July to have games in September.
Stokan said it will be more expensive to stage the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games during the pandemic "because everybody is going to have to wear a mask." He said adding expenses while cutting revenue is "a bad way to run a budget."
Stokan said the latest guidance from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp clears the way for fans to attend with proper social distancing - if the conferences and schools agree. With no fans, the only option may be to stage the kickoff games on campus sites.
Said Stokan: "We'd have to go back to the teams and say we financially can't do this."