Real Salt Lake Preparing Rio Tinto Stadium For Spectators

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Real Salt Lake is one of three teams in Major League Soccer that is allowing spectators to enter the gates of Rio Tinto Stadium and watch Real Salt Lake battle their fellow MLS foes.

Sporting Kansas City and FC Dallas are the two other teams that will allow fans to attend home games. However, neither SKC nor FC Dallas are allowing as many in which RSL is.

Rio Tinto Stadium can hold up to 20, 213 people, however, when LAFC comes to town this Wednesday (August 26) a 5,000 maximum capacity limit will be implemented to ensure safe social distancing.

Only a couple hundred tickets left #RSL

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) August 23, 2020

Between the NWSL Challenge Cup, the Premier Lacrosse League, the Real Monarchs and now Real Salt Lake, a lot of work has been required from the Real Salt Lake organization to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

“We are hoping to kind of be a trendsetter and help educate everyone else in how to do it properly,” Lief Smith, Director of Events Services said.

If you are both fortunate and brave enough to attend an upcoming Real Salt Lake match at Rio Tinto Stadium, here is what you can expect –

• Every ticket will be an e-ticket. An app will be used for game tickets, parking tickets, etc.
• Fans will be told when they are allowed to enter the stadium and when they are allowed to leave. The app has all of the information required.
• The app also allows fans to pre-purchase food and pick it up at the designated pick-up locations.
• Every seat that is being used will be at least six feet apart.
• The first few rows around the ground will be blocked off to help create added space between the fans and the players, coaches and referees.
• Most of the stadium will only have two groups per row, to help mitigate groups from walking in front of each other to get in and out of the aisle.
• Seats that are not being used have been taped shut so that fans cannot move seats.
• Face coverings or masks are required.
• If you are planning on bringing a bag, it must be clear so that security does not have to touch your belongings.
• No tailgating allowed.
• Sanitization stations are placed all across the stadium for fans to use.

Game Information

3️⃣ on @MLS team of the week! pic.twitter.com/JjG7EPzWXM

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) August 24, 2020

This Wednesday, August 28, at 7:30 p.m. Real Salt Lake will host Los Angeles Football Club at Rio Tinto Stadium.

The occasion marks the first meeting between the two clubs this season. Real Salt Lake is coming off a 4-1 road victory against Colorado while LAFC lost at home to the LA Galaxy 2-0.

The match can be watched at sports.ksl.com or by downloading the KSL TV app.

Tom Hackett is a Utah and Real Salt Lake Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the It’s Utah’s World Podcast (Utah Football themed) and The Lion’s Den Podcast (Real Salt Lake themed). Follow him on Twitter: @TomCantHackett.