Kinnick Stadium changes metal detector procedures ahead CyHawk game

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Entering Kinnick Stadium at the University of Iowa may be different this year due to new safety procedures, but school officials say new changes this week should make the experience better ahead of the CyHawk Game.

The University of Iowa’s recent partnership with BEST Crowd Management helped supply the athletic department with metal detectors. Marcus Wilson, Iowa’s Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director, said metal detectors have been on his team’s agenda for a while because they enhance safety.

“The NFL requires metal detectors. The NBA requires them. The South Eastern Conference back in 2018 mandated them across the conference. And this year, you’ll see 15 or 16 of the Big Ten institutions also have them,” said Wilson.

The new equipment was first put to use last weekend during the season opener, and there were some challenges for fans entering the stadium.

Wilson said that a majority of last week’s challenges were at Gate B. Most of the problems were associated with understanding new procedure and managing crowds.

According to Wilson, the metal detectors outside of Kinnick are different from ones found at airports. Therefore, fans don’t have to remove articles of clothing and metallic items, like phones, watches, or keys, before walking through them.

Also, with thousands of people going through gates, Wilson said it was common for one or two metal detectors to see most of the crowd, while other metal detectors were more available for fans to walk through.

Ahead of Saturday’s sold-out CyHawk game, they decided to make changes to enhance the experience. They adjusted the sensitivity level on the metal detectors, modified the gate setups, and added more metal detectors.

They’re also taking inspiration from the Paris Olympics for a new method to help manage crowds. Iowa’s athletic director Beth Goetz went to the Olympics and noticed there were individuals directing lines.

Goetz decided to bring that to Kinnick, and they will have students using bullhorns to direct fans to other metal detectors.

Wilson said he’s hopeful these changes will help enhance the experience for the 70,000 fans heading to the stadium, and the thousands of fans watching from outside of Kinnick.

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