Rio Tinto Stadium will no longer have a cap for fan attendance.
Real Salt Lake announced Monday that its home stadium will operate at full capacity for the remainder of the 2021 Major League Soccer season, starting with July 3 against LAFC. That game will also feature fireworks after the final whistle sounds.
Some hallmarks of the past year at the stadium will remain. Fans will still experience digital entry and ticket scanning, and cashless payments. The hand sanitization stations throughout the stadium will continue to be there. Plus, the stadium will be sanitized before, during and after games.
Masks will continue to be “strongly encouraged” but not required, and fans can still opt to be seated in areas where masks are required.
“As an organization we know that our fanbase has been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to return to full capacity at our home games since the pandemic struck last year,” RSL Interim President John Kimball said in a statement. “As a community we have shown resolve in navigating such a unique situation over the last year and now that the opportunity to welcome our entire fanbase back to Rio Tinto Stadium is here we couldn’t be more excited.”
Rio Tinto has operated under limited capacity since it started allowing fans to attend games late in the 2020 season. The most fans at Rio Tinto in 2021 was during the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team’s friendly against Costa Rica, which brought 19,007 fans.
RSL has sold out most of its home games so far this season. The stadium started 2021 with a capacity of about 10,000 and has increased that number over time, in accordance with the Utah Department of Health’s guidance.
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