Sharks to allow fans back at SAP Center
Team will host reduced capacity beginning with April 26 game
The Sharks announced Friday they will begin to allow a limited amount of fans into SAP Center again later this month, starting with their April 26 game with the Arizona Coyotes.
It will be the first time fans will be allowed inside the downtown arena for a Sharks game since March 8, 2020, when the team and the NHL went against the wishes of Santa Clara County health officials and proceeded with a game in front of an announced crowd of 14,694 people.
The Sharks also announced they will host family members of the players and organizational staff for the April 24 game against the Minnesota Wild.
“On behalf of the entire
Sharks organization, I am elated to welcome fans back to SAP Center at San Jose,” Jonathan Becher, president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment, said in a statement. “The health and safety of all event attendees continues to be our top priority.”
Per California Department of Public Health guidelines for indoor venues, announced earlier this month, a building’s spectator capacity may
increase to 35 percent if all guests are tested or show proof of full vaccination.
The Sharks did not announce how many tickets will be available for each game, but it is believed the amount will be well below the 35 percent of capacity allowed. The arena has a seating capacity for hockey of 17,562, so approximately 6,100 seats could be allowed.
The state announced April 2 that it would allow indoor venues — including sports arenas — to host events with a limited amount of spectators. The three-California based NHL teams were among the last in the U.S. to begin to allow fans.
Starting with the April 26 game, the Sharks will have seven home games remaining
in the regular season.
The team said tickets for regular-season home games, beginning with the April 26 game, will first be sold to Sharks365 members, suite holders and corporate partners, starting Monday.
The Sharks announced
all attendees aged 24 months and older will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID test or proof of receiving a complete COVID-19 vaccination, with the final dose received at least two weeks prior to the day of the game.
The Sharks said they
will provide a complimentary COVID-19 test to ticketed fans 48 to 72 hours prior to the game they plan to attend. Spectators are required to pre-register for testing and book an appointment, which are available beginning April 19, through Total Testing Solutions.
Fans who have received a negative PCR COVID-19 test result from another care provider, issued less than 72 hours prior to game time, may bring those records with them to SAP Center in lieu of other testing options.
All tickets must be purchased in advance. Physical tickets to Sharks games are no longer being issued.
Only the designated purchaser may use their tickets. Ticket forwarding will not be available for these games. Tickets will be sold in pods of two or four seats, with six feet of physical distance between each pod.