He’s looking forward to what everyone else is also eager for this year.
The return of purple-and-gold clad fans along with the roar only a jam-packed crowd can produce on a Saturday afternoon in the fall.
“We’re really hoping right now we’ll be at 100 percent capacity across the board in the stadium,” James Madison athletic director Jeff Bourne told the Daily News-Record last week about the school’s anticipation for increased football attendance when the new campaign begins on Sept. 4 against Morehead State.
“And that’s to include tailgating and then in basketball as well,” Bourne said. “I’m encouraged by what I’m hearing and it’s looking like every couple of weeks that go on, things loosen up, so it’s a good sign for the fall.”
During the recent spring season, state restrictions capped attendance at 250 fans for games in February before rules relaxed in April ahead of the playoffs. JMU hosted a season-high 6,011 fans for its first-round postseason win over VMI last month.
But since then, Gov. Ralph Northam lifted the Commonwealth’s mask mandate and announced Virginia will ease all distancing and capacity restrictions this coming Friday.
JMU, Bourne said, is readying for fans to visit Harrisonburg again, having started preparation for regular promotions like family weekend and homecoming in addition to all events honoring the 50th season of football at the school. The program already unveiled a logo for the 50-year celebration.
“We’re planning some events right now that I think will really bring back a lot of alumni and ex-players,” Bourne said, “so I’m excited about it. It’s the perfect time to do it. People have been tied up in their homes and they’re looking for an opportunity to come back for something special and this will be really cool.”
Prior to the pandemic-impacted season, JMU finished in the top three across all of FCS for home attendance from 2016 through 2019. The Dukes drew 162,974 fans over nine games to Bridgeforth Stadium in its last fall season, which ended with a loss to North Dakota State in the national championship game. And on the heels of winning the FCS national title in 2016, the Dukes were second in the country the following fall as 195,514 visited Bridgeforth Stadium over nine games in 2017.
The school averaged 20,084 fans per home game during those four seasons.
“Especially when you’ve got a group of young men in the sport of football who are accustomed to playing in front of those crowds,” Bourne said. “You can go to certain FCS venues and there’s never anybody there anyway so it wouldn’t matter. But for us, it’s not just a crowd. It’s mostly what the Group of Five are drawing to their schools or better. So, it’s an electric environment and it’s a huge advantage for us to be able to play here. We’re excited about it.”
He said JMU will not require any proof of vaccine from its fans, and that he’ll be thrilled to welcome them back.
“A football game is a great venue and there’s the game, but then there’s everything around it,” Bourne said. “It’s a social opportunity for people to see one another and it starts Friday night when they come into town, it’s all day Saturday with the tailgating and then the game and then any after game, so it’s a big part of the Harrisonburg community and JMU’s community on fall weekends.”
