ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Ahead of the team's season opener Sunday, the Buffalo Bills are recommending fans arrive at the gate entry area early due to "staffing challenges" at Highmark Stadium.
In a letter sent to fans the team said it will open gates 11:00 a.m., which is 30 minutes earlier than normal, and recommends all fans arrive at the gate entry area no later than 12:00 p.m. as those who arrive after 12:00 p.m. may be in jeopardy of missing kickoff.
The Bills say the changes are due to "staffing challenges" at the stadium.
We are so excited to be hosting fans at full capacity for our opening game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 12. We wanted to provide some information about gate entry so you can prepare ahead of time. Like many businesses right now, we are experiencing some staffing challenges and our game day personnel will need to operate even more efficiently than normal to make gate entry run smoothly. As a result, we recommend that you enter the stadium much earlier than you may be accustomed to in order to be in your seats for kickoff.
To help make sure you don’t miss kickoff, we are opening the gates 30 minutes earlier beginning at 11:00 a.m. We strongly recommend that you arrive at the gate entry area no later than 12:00pm. Anyone arriving to the gates after 12:00pm could be in jeopardy of missing kickoff.
Many fans say long lines won't stop them from attending games.
“I'm a long time season ticket holder, we’ll be there no matter what. We’ll just have to try a little harder to get here on time or earlier,” Paul Buchholz said.
“I'll wait in line a little longer to see the bills for sure. It wouldn’t deter me at all," Bucholtz said.
The team says all points of sale, which includes the parking lots and inside the stadium, are now cashless transactions "to ensure safety, efficiency and convenience for our staff and fans."
All tickets are mobile as well so the team recommends you do the following prior to arrival:
- Add your ticket (and parking if applicable) to your phone’s digital wallet in advance to avoid slow or weak Wi-Fi or cellular signals at the stadium.
- Make sure you have a full battery charge before you head to the stadium.
- If you are attending with guests, transfer each person their own ticket in advance.
You can find more that you need to know before you go here.
