MOUNT VERNON – Stein Brewing Company (SBC) is teaming with area schools to provide watch parties for football games on Friday nights.
With limited fans in the stands at all sporting events across the state, area schools are livestreaming games on their websites. Some are charging a fee to help recoup the shortfall of not having a normal gate on Friday nights for football season. But streaming games is only allowed by the home team.
For folks who don’t want to sit at home alone and watch these games on their computer, SBC is offering a live viewing party as an alternative.
“Obviously, it’s not a stadium atmosphere where they’re actually at the game, but it’s a fun environment for people to watch the game,” Mount Vernon City Schools Director of Athletics Justin Sanford told the Mount Vernon News. “When we hold a home game, we will live stream a game … and it’ll be a ticketed stream. We’ll get 75% per ticket for those streams. Again, just another way that we can generate a few extra dollars since we can’t put (all of our) fans in the stands.”
Patrons will pay a fee for admission, which goes to the schools' athletics departments.
SBC has two rooms at the Woodward Opera House that will each accommodate 70 patrons for livestream games throughout the shortened high school football season.
SBC will also offer a special menu that includes a bar for adult beverages.
“On top of the (admission), a portion of the food (sold) will come back to the athletics programs,” Sanford told the News.
The viewing parties started with Mount Vernon’s season-opening game at Lexington on Aug. 28.
“We have worked with the (Knox County) Health Department to ensure we follow all the current safety protocols to give you your Friday Night Lights back,” a release issued on SBC’s website said. “With the new rules on away games, we are featuring our local teams on the road.”
Mount Vernon’s games at Ashland (Sept. 4) and Mansfield Madison (Sept. 25) are also on the slate.
East Knox at Centerburg will be the featured game on Sept. 11, followed by Danville at Northmor on Sept. 18.
Two contests will be featured on Oct. 2: the Danville at East Knox game will be set up in one room, while Mount Vernon at Mansfield Senior will be shown in the other.
SBC will also show the first round of the playoffs on Oct. 9; the teams, of course, are yet to be determined.
Danville is also offering livestreaming with a fee for home games. Centerburg, East Knox, Fredericktown and Highland will livestream their home games for free.