Steelers Still Hopeful to Have Fans at Playoff Games

The Pittsburgh Steelers are still hopeful that fans could return to Heinz Field this season if the team hosts playoff games this postseason, the team said in an e-mail to season ticket holders on Tuesday.

The team is beginning the seat selection and distribution process for season ticket holders that are interested in attending playoff games. 

“We are preparing for the possibility of hosting fans at Heinz Field for postseason games after the current state orders expire on January 4, 2021,” the letter said.

The team said there is an extremely limited number of tickets that will be made available.

The team started the season with no attendance whatsoever at its first two games, but then was able open up with crowds of 4,708 fans against Philadelphia on Oct. 11, 5,260 against Cleveland on Oct. 18 and 5,909 against Cincinnati on Nov. 15.

When Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf enacted more stringent gathering rules in late December that reduced the total maximum capacity of Heinz Field to 2,500 individuals, the team decided to host only 500 friends and family of players for games on Dec. 2 against Baltimore and Dec. 7 against Washington.

The Steelers are scheduled to host the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 27. That game will be played without any fans due to Wolf’s latest order which has shut down all youth and high school athletics, and permitted collegiate and professional teams to play only without fans.

That order is currently slated to expire on Jan. 4. With the first round of the NFL playoffs scheduled to take place Jan. 9 and 10, it’s possible that the Steelers could be able to get back to at least the 2,500-person limit that had been in effect before the most recent restrictions.

Season ticket holders that choose to purchase seats must do so for all three potential home playoff games.