DENVER — Some Broncos fans say the team’s new mobile-only ticketing policy caused long waits at stadium gates and for some to miss part of Sunday’s season opener.
“You should have it ready. You should know it’s going to work,“ Broncos fan Julie Schafer said.
Schafer says her and her family got in line at the Broncos Stadium at Mile High at 1:30 p.m. for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff. They found hundreds of people waiting outside the gate, and only a few able to get in.
“It appeared the people at the gate, the attendants, were having trouble actually scanning peoples phones,” she said.
Another fan told Denver7 that dozens of fans had trouble loading their mobile tickets at a different entrance gate. She says it took an hour to get into the stadium.
“We saw people pass out and I had my mom with me, and I was worried about her,” Schafer said about the hot, sunny day.
The Broncos rolled out mobile-only ticketing during the preseason. The team reported no major issues at that time. Sunday was the first regular season game where the process was in place.
UPDATE: A team spokesperson for the Broncos tells Contact7 that there was an update to the Ticketmaster App that was pushed out before kickoff that required fans to re-log into their app. They say that may have contributed to some congestion. That spokesperson also said that the season opener is also usually the first game for season ticket holders, since a lot of them don't go to preseason games.
One fan tweeted that they missed the entire first quarter. Another said they missed half of the first. Schafer says she missed pregame and the first few minutes of the game. Those posts were a small minority of the thousands in attendance.
“It’s disappointing. The Broncos make enough money. They should be able to get us into the game on time,” she said.
Denver is one of only six NFL teams to shift to a mobile-only ticketing policy this season.
The team and the mobile ticketing system will be put to the test again next weekend against the Raiders at Mile High.
