University of Tennessee Athletics
UT Announces Smoking Ban in Neyland Stadium
July 24, 2007 | Football
UT Announces Smoking Ban in Neyland Stadium
| E-MAIL LETTER FROM MIKE HAMILTON TO FANS Dear friends, There are only 39 days until ???It???s Football Time in Tennessee???, and we???re gearing up for another great season of Tennessee Football! I wanted to take this opportunity to make you aware of an announcement we made earlier today. Beginning with the 2007 season, Neyland Stadium will be ???smoke free???. Earlier this year, the state legislature passed a law prohibiting smoking in all enclosed public places. The ???Non-Smoker Protection Act???, which was signed into law earlier this year, applies to sports arenas, including indoor and outdoor areas. In concert with the new legislation, smoking will no longer be allowed in the stadium. Smoking had been allowed in certain areas of Neyland Stadium in past years. Last year the University limited smoking to ramp areas and the Gate 21 plaza to reflect another state law that banned smoking in state buildings and went into effect before the 2006 season. At that time, smoking was already banned in the seating areas. While I know non-smokers will see this as good news, I also know that this has a negative impact on our fans who smoke. Over the past month we have spent a lot of time analyzing our venue and its constraints to make sure we are abiding by the new law to the best of our ability. Unfortunately SEC rules prohibit pass outs at any SEC school sports facility. If you have not purchased your tickets for the 2007 season, we have a very limited number of season tickets still available through the Volunteer Athletics and Scholarship Fund (VASF). For more information, please contact the VASF at (865) 974-1218. Individual game tickets for four University of Tennessee home football games ??? Southern Mississippi (Sept. 8), Arkansas State (Sept. 22), Louisiana-Lafayette (Nov. 3) and Vanderbilt (Nov. 17) - and two away games ??? Mississippi State (Oct. 13) and Kentucky (Nov. 24) - are available for purchase online at UTsports.com, via phone at (800) 332-VOLS and at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tickets are $40 each for Louisiana-Lafayette, Arkansas State and Vanderbilt and $50 each for Southern Mississippi plus shipping and handling. Tickets for Mississippi State are $40 and Kentucky are $30. If you are looking for tickets for other home games, please check with the ticket office the Thursday before each home game to see if any tickets were returned from the student allotment. If tickets are returned, they will be available at utsports.com or by phone at 1-800-332-VOLS (8657) beginning Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. I am looking forward to seeing you in Neyland Stadium this fall. Expect to win! Mike Hamilton |
| NEYLAND STADIUM SMOKING Q&A Q. Will you allow pass outs to fans who wish to smoke? A. No. SEC guidelines prohibit pass outs at all SEC sports facilities. Granting pass outs would also create security concerns. Q. Last year smoking was allowed in the Gate 10 and Gate 21 area, which are open air areas. Why is smoking no longer allowed there? A. Inside the gates of Neyland Stadium Q. How does this law affect the smoking area at Thompson-Boling Arena? A. Currently we still plan to provide a designated smoking area on the east ramp outside the arena. We are able to provide this accommodation since we are dealing with a smaller crowd and we are able to secure a designated location. Q. How does this law affect smoking at other UT sports facilities? A. We are currently reviewing our other facilities to see how the new law will affect them. Q. Why did you wait until late summer to announce this change? A. The law was not passed until June 11. Since that time, we have been looking at how the bill would affect us and examining all options to ensure we came up with the best solution for the most fans while complying with the new law. Q. Can I use smokeless tobacco? A. Smokeless tobacco is still permitted in Neyland Stadium. Q. Do other schools have a similar policy? A. Yes. In the SEC alone, Arkansas, Florida, LSU and South Carolina have banned smoking in their stadiums. |
