The Cardinals have started to plan for "how many fans they’ll have at Busch Stadium" when MLB and local government give them the OK during the '21 season, according to Derrick Goold of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III explained how the “geometry” of the ballpark and the need to maintain social distance "will likely mean the team can have 28% capacity in the bowl." Their initial plan is to "scatter pods of available tickets and sell between 8,000 and 12,000 tickets per game." The crowd size "may not grow from a quarter full until the team receives clearance" from MLB and the city to "open the ballpark up to full attendance." The team has indicated season-ticket buyers will have first dibs, and DeWitt suggested that seniority "might help the team meet the demand [if] it outpaces the supply of limited seating." The team "remains in conversations with the mayor’s office and state officials because local policies will dictate when the ballpark opens to fans." DeWitt added that the team "has hopes to sell less than 1,000 tickets per exhibition game at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., for spring training" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/20).
