URBANA – On Friday, the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced that all venues will open up to 100% capacity for the 2021-22 season.
Full capacity for all sports in 2021-2022.
That's it. That's the tweet. It's a great day.
— Illinois Athletics (@IlliniAthletics) June 11, 2021
The decision came in conjunction with the state moving into Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois plan.
When Illinois women’s golf tees off its season on Aug. 23, the first official home match of all Illinois Athletics in the 2021-22 season, it will have been 533 days since any team played in front of a crowd in Champaign-Urbana.
Fighting Illini football will open at full capacity for college football’s first kickoff of the 2021 season on Aug. 28 vs. Nebraska at 12 p.m. CT.
“We are excited to be the first college football kickoff at 100% capacity in nearly 20 months,” said Illinois football head coach Bret Bielema in a statement. “The combination of being the first college football game of the season and being at full capacity will allow our fans to show the country that Memorial Stadium is an electric environment.”
