Polo shirts. Red and black dresses. Gigantic sunglasses. And wristbands?
They may be the newest fashion accessory for students who choose to sit in the best student section seats.
The Athletic Association spent months figuring out a fairer way to allocate student football tickets. And when the South Carolina Gamecocks strut into town on Sept. 12 for the first home game, students will try out the new ticketing system.

The Red & Black sat down with representatives from the Athletic Association to find out how the new football ticketing system will work. Here is what Claude Felton, Frank Crumley, Tim Cearley, Wendy Whittington, and Matt Brachowski had to say.

Q: How am I going to receive my tickets?
A: Football tickets will be electronically loaded onto students’ UGACards. Students can begin requesting tickets today.

Q: Will students have to enter through different gates?
A: Yes. Students must enter through one of three gates designated for students. Gate one is located under Sanford Bridge. Gate three is between Memorial Hall and Reed Hall. And Gate 4A is located between Reed Hall and East Campus Road. Students cannot enter through other gates.

Q: How will getting into Sanford Stadium be different?
A: Students will only need their most recent UGACard to get into the stadium. The card will be swiped, and if a ticket to the game is on the card, the student’s appearance will be checked against the photograph on their card. If a student does not have the newest edition of their UGACard, they will not be able to get into the game. Additionally, selling tickets to other students will not be possible – unless they look similar to you and use your student ID, which is a violation of University policy.

Q: Have the student sections changed?
A: The student sections will be the same – 18,026 seats.

Q: We need to wear wristbands?
A: Sometimes, yes. Seating this season will be at a first-come, first-served basis. In order to make sure the best sections do not become too crowded, students in the lower sections will be required to wear wristbands. The wristbands will ensure students who leave their seat to buy concessions or use the bathroom will be able to return to their section. Students in the lower sections who are not wearing wristbands will be escorted out of the section.

Q: Can I sit with non-University friends in the student section?
A: Still, no. While it may have been easier to pull a fast one and sneak a friend in with an old ID last year, this season’s ticketing system was designed to curb those activities.

Q: What about away games?
A: The long waits at Stegeman Colisuem are over for most students. But those who decide to purchase away game tickets will still need to pick up hard copies. The tickets can be retrieved on Sept. 2 and 3, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Q: Can I get free tickets?
A: If you are lucky, you may be able to. Students who receive tickets they cannot use have the option to donate their unused ticket. Students who do not receive full-season packages will be automatically put into a pool, where they may be notified the Thursday before the game if they have been awarded a ticket. Students who donate their tickets cannot take them back and will not be reimbursed for the original ticket price.

Q: And if I am unlucky and know I will not get a free ticket?
A: Some tickets dispersed to the away team for three games – Tennessee Tech, Arizona State and Kentucky – have been returned. Five hundred tickets for each of the three games were returned. Tickets will be available for students at full price, but students must sit in the away section.

Q: So will things be better?
A: We will find out on Sept. 12. While enrollment has increased, the Athletic Association found a way to theoretically increase the number of tickets available for students. Around 1,000 students – football players, cheerleaders and members of the Redcoat Band included – could request tickets last year. The new system does not allow for those students who are already allowed admission through other means to request tickets.