Miami Dolphins’ ingenious plans for fans

Article posted by Coliseum, May 28^th, 2020

Image: Hard Rock Stadium

Stephen Ross, owner of Miami Dolphins, announced on Tuesday that a pair of entertainment venues, which includes a drive-in theater, would come up at the Miami Gardens complex which can sit 65,000 spectators. Ross is not sure whether fans will be able to attend the 2020 National Football League (NFL) season going by the coronavirus bane which has the United States in its throes. But, the Dolphins are trying to ensure at least some people will visit their home turf in the near future. However, no opening date has been announced as yet.

The Dolphins have been devising ingenious ways to keep running the show during the pandemic. They released mock-up plans earlier this month for what it could be like to host approximately 15,000 fans in the stadium if the NFL and the Government gives the go-ahead.

The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida, US. The Dolphins compete in the NFL as a member of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The Dolphins are the oldest professional sports team in Florida.

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Hard Rock Stadium which sits in Miami Gardens, Florida, is the home arena of the Miami Dolphins. Hard Rock Stadium also plays host to the Miami Hurricanes football team during their regular season.

The National Football League is a professional American football league comprising 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference.

All counties in Florida are presently planning strategies to reopen public facilities. Hard Rock Stadium “will now feature both an open-air and drive-in theater” for “family-friendly experiences … in accordance with social distance policies,” the venue said in a statement. Up to 230 cars will be permitted inside the facility for drive-in events, while small groups will be allowed to stage open-air viewings on the complex’s south plaza. The best part is that the stadium drive-in will show not only classic movies and other events but also marquee games in the team’s 54-year history.

The whole idea has been conceived taking into account the fact that the drive-in movie theater business is truly helping to mint a lot of money. It has seemingly capitalized on some of the lost revenue of standard cinemas – almost all of which have closed up shop due to the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19.

It is still not clear whether the Dolphins will be able to play in front of fans this season. Ross said the team is currently planning to have fans at Hard Rock Stadium, which hosted the Super Bowl in February, but noted the league is prepared to be “very flexible” in order to start its schedule on time.

The Hard Rock Stadium will now boast the Outdoor Theaters – an open-air theater and a drive-in theater – two new ways to watch films in a socially distanced setting. It will be a more intimate viewing experience.

Restrooms will be open, and one can order food and drinks through an online ordering and payment system and have them delivered.

The venues can also be utilized for commencement ceremonies and other events.

“We’ve spent several weeks planning this to be able to provide people with a safe option to go out and enjoy movies, classic Dolphins content, concerts, and celebrate 2020 graduates,” said Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium Vice-Chairman and CEO Tom Garfinkel in a press release sent out.

“It’s a fundamental human need to physically experience and celebrate events and experiences together, and we’re trying to provide options for everyone where they can be safely socially distant and socially present at the same time,” Garfinkel added.

Fans can put their name on an email list via the stadium website to be notified when tickets are available.

Hard Rock Stadium became the first public facility to earn the Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s STAR accreditation, the standard used for facilities to implement cleaning, disinfecting and infectious disease prevention work practices to control risks involved with infectious agents like the coronavirus.

Owner Stephen Ross told mediapersons that there will “definitely” be a football season this Fall and the plan as of now is to include having fans in the stands.

Hard Rock Stadium was the host for Super Bowl LIV. It also has hosted Miami Open tennis tournaments, several large music festivals, college football championship games and international soccer games.

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