AUSTIN, Texas - Austin Bold FC will soon return to Bold Stadium at Circuit of The Americas to resume the 2020 USL Championship Season. The team’s first match back in Austin will be against the OKC Energy FC on July 17th.
The season will return with seven home games and a new playoff format, and the team says that in an effort to prioritize the community’s health and well-being, fans will not be permitted to attend games in July.
"With the safety of fans COTA’s primary concern and the current escalation of COVID-19 cases, COTA has proactively decided to move forward playing games without fan-attendance, for the time being," says a release from the Austin Bold FC. "COTA will continue to monitor the situation and begin allowing fans, vendors, and employees back to the field when it is deemed safe to do so."
Austin Bold says that in order to limit travel, clubs will be divided into eight regional groups to complete a 16-game regular season followed by a single-elimination playoff. The regular-season games will be played over 13 weeks, concluding the weekend of October 2-4. Games completed prior to the season suspension in March will be counted and included in the schedule.
Austin Bold FC will be part of a regional group that includes OKC Energy FC, Rio Grande Valley FC, San Antonio FC, and FC Tulsa. The Bold will play its fellow group members three times. The remaining games will be played against teams within a similar geographic region for a total of 15 games.
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Additionally, all public-facing events at the track in July have been canceled, including Bike Night powered by Ascension Seton. COTA says it will continue to monitor the situation and make decisions about public events in the coming weeks.
For more information on the Austin Bold FC and to view the updated 2020 season schedule, click here.
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