Photo courtesy of Todd Kwarcinski.
Vestavia Hills fans will no longer need cash to enter an athletic event.
The Vestavia Hills High School athletics department is adjusting the way it handles ticket sales for the upcoming school year, accelerating a trend that has already begun in recent years.
For the 2020-21 academic year, admission to Vestavia Hills athletic events will be 100% cashless.
The change will be in effect for every athletic event on a Vestavia Hills City Schools campus from grades seven through 12.
“The main thing is we’re putting things in place to keep our people safe and keep them [the fans] safe also,” Vestavia Hills Athletics Director Jeff Segars said.
Last fall, football programs in Vestavia’s region encouraged fans to purchase tickets ahead of time through GoFan, a digital ticketing service. Tickets purchased through GoFan were cheaper than tickets purchased with cash at the gate.
This football season, and with every other sport this year, that encouragement will now be a requirement in an effort to maintain effective social distancing and eliminate the need for physical exchanges of money.
For football games, parking and game tickets can be purchased through GoFan. Any fan who shows up without a pre-purchased ticket will be able to purchase one with a debit or credit card.
While there will undoubtedly be an adjustment period to the new procedures, assistant athletic director Laura Casey hopes to get the word out as much as possible beforehand.
“The more people that are prepared that we’re not taking cash, the better,” she said.
There are other options as well. High school students and adults will be able to purchase season passes, and the school introduced the Rebel Kids Club in the spring. Students K-5 can receive an all-sports pass for the school year and other perks for $50.
“We’re doing this to keep people safe,” Segars said. “We’re not trying to inconvenience anybody. We want everyone to have the chance to watch these high school kids compete.”
Prices for the student and adult season passes were not available at the time of press. That information will be posted to 1rebelathletics.com when it becomes available.
