Fans At Eagles Games This Fall? Team Is 'Hopeful'

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Eagles leadership is still hopeful they can have fans at home games in 2020 despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The Eagles will begin the season without any fans in the stadium, as will many teams around the league. Some teams in certain parts of the country where the virus is not as prevalent will start the year with fans.

Owner Jeffrey Lurie said Sunday that the team was working with companies from around the globe to develop testing procedures, and made mention of rapid diagnostic testing and tests with instant results as something that could be limited.

"We have been trying very, very hard to come up with solutions that are safe and innovative in time for the beginning of the season," Lurie said. "We're hopeful that there's going to be ways to have a significant number of real fans in our stadium pretty soon."

Lurie conceded that it may not happen until after September. The Eagles are in daily conversations with city and state officials regarding safety protocols and to stay up to date on health recommendations.

He added that he did not mind that other teams would be able to have fans before the Eagles.

"Fans are the backbone of our sport," he said, and added that he thinks the Eagles even have "away field advantage" when traveling to places like Washington or Los Angeles where the Birds' fanbase has a presence.

The official guidance from the state calls for no gatherings of more than 250 individuals in Pennsylvania.

Lurie's remarks came during a wide-ranging, 50-minute news conference on Sunday afternoon during which he broached a number of topics, including racial injustice, coronavirus, the 2020 election, and the way in which football games might look quite a bit different this year due to quarantines and positive tests.

Specifically, players may be playing out of position, and teams will almost assuredly have their depth tested.

"We've embraced the unpredictability of it," Lurie said, saying he liked the positional flexibility on the Birds roster this year. "We know in any given game, we might only have one quarterback available, or a wide receiver might play tight end."

Lurie also spoke positively about the season and the games itself, expressing confidence that there was a safe path forward for the league amid the pandemic.

"I am optimistic that we'll be able to play our games," Lurie said. "So far, things are going awfully well in terms of the protocols. They're very, very detailed, and rightly so. I'm optimistic, but I'm also really cognizant that the virus will control that, we will not control that...we will do the very, very best we can as a league and as a team to try to keep everybody as safe as possible."

The season is set to begin against Washington Sunday, Sept. 13.