- Tell us what you want to know before footy returns to Canberra Stadium. Email your questions to sport@canberratimes.com.au
The new Canberra Stadium experience will be like one you've never seen before. Fans sitting at least two seats apart, no lines for tickets at the gate and players needing to catch buses from the AIS to the stadium as a safety measure.
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The ACT Brumbies and Canberra Raiders have launched their homecoming ticket process, with members getting the first opportunity to snap-up the 1500 seats available at each game next weekend.
Every ticket will have a name attached to it and stadium staff could do random ID checks during the game to ensure supporters stay in their allocated position for Canberra's live-sporting comeback.
Here's everything you need to know about Canberra's coronavirus footy crowds for the "pilot test" of large gatherings in the capital.
WHO GETS TO GO?
The Raiders tickets will get on sale at 2pm on Monday, with access members given a chance to snag a spot for their NRL showdown with the St George Illawarra Dragons on July 3. The Brumbies' members ballot will close at 12pm on Friday, with demand expected to exceed supply for their clash against the Melbourne Rebels on July 4.
Both clubs are prioritising ticketed members and are expecting the allocation to be exhausted quickly.
The clubs will contact the successful members before detailing the ticketing process. Unsuccessful members will rise up the pecking order for future home games. If there are tickets left over, as unlikely as that is, they will be offered to the general public.
Any fans who get tickets but have a sniffle or feel sick on game day are being told to stay at home.
ARRIVAL AT THE GROUND
Organisers are encouraging digital tickets for all attendees, but you will be able to print tickets at home and scan them when you arrive.
There will be no ticket booths open at the gates to minimise touch points for fans, stadium staff and security.
Speaking of the entrance, you will only be able to get into the ground from the eastern side. The western side (the Mal Meninga Stand) is being classified as a "clean zone" for players and officials.
Both games will be "bag-free events", meaning you can't carry a backpack into the venue. This is to minimise the need for security guards to search belongings. There are exceptions to allow for health needs or for people with children.
Small purses will be allowed. But handbags are banned as part of the risk mitigation process.
FINDING YOUR SEAT
This will be a bit of a lonely process. Fans will be separated by two or three seats to allow for physical-distancing rules. The only exception is if a child is aged 12 years or younger. They will be allowed to sit with their parent or guardians.
House groups and families will have to adhere to the seat spacing, with the ACT Chief Health Officer enforcing the rules despite being able to sit in groups at the pub or a restaurant. The spacing rule is designed to limit the risk of spreading the virus at a large event.
MORE CANBERRA SPORT
All seats will be on the eastern side and the stadium is considering whether to allocate sections to certain food and beverage outlets to avoid long queues.
There is the possibility food and drinks could be delivered to your seat, but some outlets will likely be open for people to line up at. Card payment is preferred to limit the handling of cash.
CAN I MOVE DURING THE GAME?
As tempting as it will be to move closer to mates, stadium staff will be monitoring the seating spread and may also do ID checks to make sure you're in the allocated seats.
The Brumbies will group family membership groups as close together as possible, but a group of friends won't be guaranteed seats near each other and won't be able to gather at any stage during the match.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE BALL IS IN THE STANDS?
The Brumbies will deploy "ball retrievers" on either side of the ground. Fans are being encouraged to avoid catching or touching the ball if it flies into the stands.
The ball retrievers will collect the ball and hand it over the fence to more staff, who will disinfect the ball before handing it to the ball kids.
WHAT ABOUT THE PLAYERS?
NRL and Super Rugby players are in a training "bubble" at the moment to limit their contact with the outside world in the hope it minimises their risk of coronavirus exposure.
The bubble will extend to the western side of Canberra Stadium. But here's an interesting quirk: the players will have to board a bus from the AIS warm-up facilities and be driven through the stadium gates.
Brumbies players usually walk to the stadium from their warm-up area. But extra precautions are in place to ensure there is no interaction with fans before the game.
DATA TRACING
Both clubs will be required to provide names, contact details and the exact seat location of every fan attending the matches. This will allow for "contact tracing" in the event there is a coronavirus-associated cluster after either of the games.
If there are no recorded cases, the Chief Health Officer could agree to increase the attendance figure to closer to 4000 for games in the future.
THE VIKING CLAP AND HIGH FIVES
The Raiders have been doing a virtual Viking clap for "home" games at Campbelltown. A return to the real thing is on the cards for the clash against the Dragons, even though the sound of 1500 people won't quite have the same thunderous boom as 15,000.
It's likely the club will blend the virtual and real worlds together for home games until crowds can return to normal.
As for high-fiving fans when Jordan Rapana flies high or Tom Banks cuts through defensive lines ... that will likely be discouraged to limit contact and the potential spread of the virus.
BATHROOM ACCESS
Bathrooms and wet areas will be open to the public for the matches, but cleaning will be done more often.
WHEN WILL CROWD NUMBERS INCREASE?
The government and Chief Health Officer will use two NRL games and one Super Rugby match as testing programs to determine if the large gatherings are safe.
The Raiders play the Dragons and the Melbourne Storm at home in back to back weeks and then host South Sydney on July 25.
It's possible crowds could increase to up to 4000 for the match against South Sydney. National cabinet recommended smaller stadiums be able to fill 25 per cent of their seating capacity.
The attendance capacity at Canberra Stadium is about 25,000, but the seated capacity is between 22,000-23,000. The closure of the western grandstand limits the crowd number again, with the final figure to fall to about 4000.
The Brumbies play their first game at home, but crowd sizes could increase by the time they return in August.
FOOTY'S DOUBLE ACT
July 3: Canberra Raiders v St George-llawarra Dragons at Canberra, 6pm
July 4: ACT Brumbies v Melbourne Rebels at Canberra, 7.15pm