Patriots to offer free parking at Gillette Stadium this year due to Coronavirus

Despite the Coronavirus crisis dominating life in the United States, the NFL’s preparations for the 2020 season are fully underway. How it will eventually look like is anyone’s guess at this point in time, but teams appear to be confident that they will at least have some fans in the stands at one point in time. The New England Patriots, for example, recently sent a letter to their season-ticket holders reaffirming this belief.

The letter itself, meanwhile, informed those in possession of season-tickets that parking at the club’s Gillette Stadium lots will be free this year in light of the pandemic (via ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss).

“In order to show our appreciation for your commitment to the Patriots during this unique season — and in acknowledgment that it will be different than any other season we have ever experienced together — we want to share that we will provide free parking in all Gillette Stadium lots this year,” the letter reads. “From both a safety and convenience standpoint, we hope this will simplify one aspect of your game-day experience in 2020 and serve to express our gratitude for your support.”

Under normal circumstances, parking at Gillette Stadium costs anywhere between $30 on the western side of Route 1 to $150 for buses and RVs. Parking in one of the lots near the stadium was $60 per vehicle for the 2019 season. The Patriots also introduced a “delayed exit lot” in 2018 that offered free parking on the north-western edge of the premises in return for those fans having to wait 75 minutes after a game to leave the lot again.

The decision to make all parking free for the 2020 season is the latest change by the organization in response to the challenges presented by Covid-19. The team also announced last month that at-risk season-ticket holders would have the option to skip the upcoming campaign while still retaining their rights for 2021 and beyond.