It’s celebration time for Detroit Lions players and coaches. Say goodbye to the empty stands!

The Detroit Lions announced on Thursday morning that they are hosting a limited amount of families and friends in attendance for this Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. The organization’s press release states they’ll allow a max of 500 guests from both coaches and players. 

Sunday will be the first anyone will be in the stands of Ford Field this year.

“Hosting friends and family this Sunday against the Colts is a great step towards our goal of welcoming fans back to Ford Field this season,’ said team president and CEO Rod Wood. “With health and safety being the top priority, this is an opportunity to further evaluate new stadium protocols on a larger scale. We continue to collaborate with local, state, and national health officials on increasing capacity for our remaining home games.” 

“Detroit Lions Season Ticket Members are the lifeblood of our team and organization,’ said Wood. “We appreciate their patience and understanding while we work through unprecedented times and will make sure they are the first to know about opportunities to attend games this season.”

As the Lions prepare to have guests in stands for the first time this season, they’re following all safety guidelines set forth by disease specialists. Some of the new gameday protocols they’ve implemented include:

• Digital ticketing and cashless gameday
• Masks required in every part of Ford Field’s campus, including parking lots and entry gates
• Guests must stay in assigned seats and pods and cannot move to other open seats in the seating bowl
• Smoking sections at Ford Field are no longer available
• All restrooms throughout the building now have touch-free faucets along with touch-free toilets, urinals, and paper towel dispensers
• All water fountains are turned off per MDHHS guidelines

The Lions look to win their third straight game as they take on the Colts this Sunday at 1 PM.

Additionally, they’ll look to win their second straight game against the Colts. The last time the Lions played the Colts resulted in a 38-35 victory in 2016.