SANTA CLARA – Tailgating at 49ers games will look a lot different this season and many fans are frustrated with the team’s changes.
The 49ers recently reached out to longtime fans with new rules for tailgating on game days. One of the new policies is “directed parking” – a procedure in which cars are waved into particular spots, rather than drivers having their pick in a lot on a first-come, first-served basis.
According to the Levi’s Stadium website, the new parking procedure aims to maximize the available spaces in a given lot and helps prevent congestion.
The organization is scaling back the number of early tailgate parking passes that allow fans to barbecue and socialize in the parking lot before the game, ABC-7 reports, while also cracking down on loud music.
Some season ticket holders are not happy with the recent changes and have even started a petition in hopes of meeting with 49ers executives to talk about the recent changes. As of Tuesday morning, the petition has over 2,300 signatures.
Joe Leonor, a season ticket holder and president of 49er fan group The Niner Empire, said he was told by the organization that the new parking procedures will help people who are arriving closer to kickoff time.
His fear is that the new tailgating protocols will prevent longtime fans from interacting with each other, and thus make tailgating parties smaller as limited amounts of early tailgating passes have been available.
“We leave at five, six, seven o’clock in the morning on game day and we’re lined up ready to go,” Leonor told the Bay Area News Group on Wednesday. “Why not cater to your fans that are there through thick and thin? … It’s heartbreaking because it’s a tradition. It’s the one day a week we can let our hair down, enjoy each other and have fun.
“They said it’s for time-saving and improved traffic, but the hardcore fans are already in there. It’s the people that are coming late to the games for whatever reason. It’s the love for football and the tradition of football that gets us there early.”
Leonor said the pregame festivities are part of the gameday fabric and is why the team has so many fans.
“You meet lifelong friends,” Leonor said. “People come from all different parts of the world to enjoy tailgating. There’s tailgates all throughout Levi’s Stadium. It’s part of our escape from reality.”
The 49ers declined to answer specific questions about the changes in parking policy, but cited fan safety as a motivating factor.
“Safety is our top priority, and while we want to ensure all guests at Levi’s Stadium are able to enjoy themselves, tailgating guidelines are in place to protect the safety of all guests and staff,” a spokesperson for 49ers told the Bay Area News Group on Wednesday.
Fans on social media have also voiced their displeasure with the new parking rules.
“Thank you @49ers for raising our prices,” wrote sports photographer and longtime 49ers fan Ricky Helton on Twitter/X. “Giving the best parking spots to …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
