NorthWood High School has announced its capacity and ticketing plans for athletics for the 2021-22 season. InkFreeNews file photo by Mike Deak.

Press Release

NAPPANEE — NorthWood High School and its athletic department plans to permit full capacity within its athletic facilities for the upcoming fall season, NorthWood Director of Athletics Roman Smith announced today. Full capacity is also planned for all of NorthWood’s home winter and spring athletic events. This decision is in line with that of state, local and school health officials’ recommendations.

“It hasn’t been an easy road to get here, but we couldn’t be more excited to see all of our athletic venues full again for the first time since the 2019 school year,” said Smith, “I cannot thank our fans enough for their patience and understanding while we have followed the advice of the medical professionals to protect the safety and health of everyone during the pandemic. In making today’s announcement, we continue to follow the advice and recommendations of the Elkhart County Health Department, and we are counting down the days until we see our stands full of Panther fans again!”

“I want to thank the Wa-Nee School Board and Dr. Scot Croner for accepting and supporting this recommendation to return to full capacity this fall,”  Smith added. Specific COVID protocols for NorthWood’s indoor and outdoor athletic activities this fall will be finalized and communicated at a later date.

With the announcement of full capacity for the fall season, the NorthWood athletic department would like to promote its new campaign that promotes the welcoming and pursuit of fans in the stands…

Today, the NorthWood Athletic Department will be launching the “Your Panthers. Your Experience.” campaign to get back to the loud homefield/homecourt advantage we have been used to. Now through July 23, they are rolling back all-sport pass pricing with their “Committed Panther Pricing.” Family all-sport passes, as well as senior citizen all-sport passes have been added to accommodate NorthWood fans/spectators. Their normal adult and student (K-8) all-sport passes will be available. All NorthWood High School students will be admitted into home NorthWood athletic events for free (excluding NLC tournaments and IHSAA tournaments).

NorthWood High School students will be sent specific information on how to redeem all-sports passes.

The NorthWood athletic department understands that the experience of interscholastic athletic events provides a platform for igniting community support, adding to our student-athletes experience. They are the difference makers, always have been and always will be.

NorthWood will be distributing all tickets and passes through digital/mobile delivery, which can be accessed by ticketholders through their smartphones beginning with the 2021 fall athletic season. The move to mobile ticketing will apply to all ticketed sports, which was experienced throughout the 2020-2021 school year.

Moving forward, all passes and single game tickets will be general admission only.

“As the environment created by the pandemic continues to improve, I am optimistic that we will be able to welcome Panther Fans back into our athletic venues in the fall,” Smith said. “Mobile ticketing allows for a more streamlined and simple experience for our fans while also providing a safe and contactless transaction upon entry. We are excited about this offering but people unable to participate shouldn’t worry, as we will work to accommodate upon request.”

Be a part of the action this season! Fans and spectators can purchase All-Sport Passes, and general admission tickets for all athletic events online at www.gonwpanthers.com through their digital ticketing box office. Also, during upcoming student registration events such as freshmen orientation (Aug. 2) and upperclassmen registration (Aug.4-5), representatives from the Athletic Department will have a booth set up to help assist in All-Sport Pass purchases.

During the coming days, NorthWood will release more information with detailed instructions and FAQs