Sanford Stadium was packed over the weekend during University of Georgia’s game against Notre Dame, but some students left the stands fuming when they were told that no more seats were available in the student section.

As a part of the initial negotiation of the deal for two games between the football fan-favorites, UGA had agreed to prepare 500 extra seats than usual to accommodate an expected 8,000 Fighting Irish fans. Do do so, the university had planned to shift one of its student sections into the West End Zone. However, this did not go as planned. Students were allegedly removed from the stadium due to lack of seating within the student sections, UGA’s student newspaper The Red & Black reports.

The Red & Black talked to a handful of students who said they were kicked-out of the game. Many recounted their experiences, explaining that they arrived to a full student section. When they asked staff members where to sit, they were told to leave. Others left on their own accord when they couldn’t find any open seats, or in some cases, when Notre Dame fans booed them out of their section.

One first-year doctor of pharmacy student, Caroline Stevens, told The Red & Black that a police officer grabbed her by the arm and tried to drag her out of the stadium when she couldn’t find seating.

“This was a big game, and kicking out students to make room for certain fans just because they paid more money for their ticket is incredibly unfair,” Stevens said. “Overall, Sanford really let me down.”

Another student, a senior landscape architecture major, Lauren Fox, told The Red & Black that she had arrived an hour before kick off, leaving her plenty of time to spare. Yet, every seat was filled in the student section, and when she asked staff for help, they told her “leave I guess.”

“I would say the worst part of this entire situation in my opinion is that the University did not place any value in the experience of students on Saturday,” Fox said. “It seems impossible to me that the university “accidentally” sold tickets in a designated students section, and left hundreds of students with nowhere to go.”

One student shared the situation on social media, noting that students were being kicked-out of the game after UGA sold too many tickets from the student section.

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When The Red & Black contacted UGA officials, they did not receive a response. TicketNews reached out to the ticket officials in UGA’s athletics department and are awaiting comment.

The game Saturday night ended with the Bulldogs taking a 23-17 win. They’re slated to face-off teams like Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Florida next month.

Last Updated on September 24, 2019

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