Marshall football games to include added safety measures

HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) — After Senate Bill 10 passed in 2023, Marshall University officials said they knew they had to take extra precautions for the upcoming football season while maintaining a fun gameday environment.

One of the new safety measures fans can expect will be the addition of weapon detecting metal gates at every Joan C. Edwards Stadium entrance.

13 News spoke with Associate Athletic Director Ryan Crisp on what the new entrance procedure will look like.

“As fans approach our venue, they’ll see open gate weapon detectors. Basically, what you do is you just approach it, you walk through it like normal, you don’t have to take anything out of your pockets. It’s just screening your body for anything that may detect as a weapon,” Crisp said. “If for whatever reason it does pick up on something, then you’ll be asked to go to a secondary screening area where they’ll use a wand or do a pat down.”

Another major change that Thundering Herd football fans can expect is that they will no longer be permitted to enter and exit the stadium as they please. After your ticket is scanned and you enter the stadium, you would need to have an unused ticket to go back to the game.

“It is something that is all across D1 schools and concert venues. But if you have an unscanned, unused ticket, then you’re more than welcome to go back through the screening process and use that unscanned ticket,” Crisp said.

However, Marshall football fans will be permitted to enter The Joan up to two hours before kickoff.

In an effort to make the transition to the new safety protocols seamless, and to keep fans in the stadium, Crisp said that they’ve enhanced fans’ experiences through a few key additions.

The Marshall faithful can now bring in sealed and clear water bottles that they can refill at refilling stations. There will also be food trucks spread out through the concourse to give fans different dining options, and a gaming corner where people can play the new NCAA College Football video game.

There will also be plenty of family zones that will have activities for the kids.

“I’ve been wondering, why hadn’t they done it before. I feel like it’s so standard among so many other events. It will keep people in the stands, maybe keep the attendance high for the whole game. I think it’s beneficial overall. At first it seemed a little strange, but once you look at how other events are and concerts and things, it’s just standard,” Josh Billups, a Marshall fan, said.

These new safety measures will be implemented at every home Marshall football game, any Marshall event with over 1000 people and whenever the Marshall Athletic Department deems it necessary.

The Marshall Thundering Herd will kick off their season on Aug. 31 at Joan C. Edwards Stadium with a game against the Stony Brook Seawolves.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOWK 13 News.