Could Autzen Stadium Parking Lots Open Six Hours Before Oregon Football Games?

Oregon Football meets Eastern Washington at Autzen Stadium.Justin Phillips/KPNW Sports
Oregon Football meets Eastern Washington at Autzen Stadium.Justin Phillips/KPNW Sports /
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Oregon Football fans could see an increase in time for Pregame Tailgating if the University of Oregon has their way.

Believe it or not, the University of Oregon has decided they want to make a change to the Pregame time for home Oregon Football games at Autzen Stadium. According to the Eugene Register-Guard, the University is seeking a request to change to add two hours to the time fans can drink prior to the start of the game. The current law says that fans can drink legally on the Autzen Stadium grounds for four hours before kickoff. The new request extends the time to six hours.

There are positives for the change including less traffic on I-5 for fans traveling from Portland to Eugene for the game. The Eugene City Council will have to approve the request and change the City Code that is currently at four hours. The move would also help to extend the fan experience since over 60 percent of Oregon Football fans live outside of Lane County and typically drive to the games.

Over the last few seasons, the biggest complaint has been from night games and fans finding a late night hotel on a Saturday night rather than driving two hours to get home following a game that ended just before midnight.

The University of Oregon has already met with Eugene Fire and Police along with Organizations around Autzen Stadium who approve of the move. Concerns were brought at a Eugene City Council meeting earlier this week that it would provide increased time to consume alcohol, which would be my concern as well.

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The Eugene Police Chief, however, feels differently on the issue, “It’s been my experience that by extending the time doesn’t increase the amount of alcohol one person consumes. There are some arguments that say it would actually reduce that rush-feel to want to drink more in a short period of time.”

With the six hour time frame the earliest the parking lots would open would be 7 am according to the report. Oregon’s second home game of the season is set for an 11 am Pacific Time kickoff.

The Eugene City Council is set to vote on the proposal on July 9. The first Oregon Football Home Game for the 2018 season is set for Saturday, September 1. (5 pm PT Pac-12 Network)