University of Georgia tailgaters will get to bring their tents back to North Campus for football games.
University officials relaxed restrictions Thursday for tailgate parties before UGA football games. Fans will be able to tables up to six feet long to football games this fall and will be able to start partying five hours before kickoff instead of four.
But fans still will not be able to bring grills.
“The hope is that it will bring more people out and they will have a good time,” UGA Vice President George Stafford told the AJC a member of the committee that adopted the changes at a meeting Thursday.
The school put in tougher restrictions a year ago to control fans who left behind tons of trash on the grounds. The problem reached its peak after a night game Sept. 12, 2009. About 70 tons of garbage, tents, grills, coolers and chairs were removed from North Campus. Fans were also seen urinating on public buildings and defecating outdoors.
Stafford said the changes in the rules adopted Thursday were based on comments from fans and students.
“We cannot go back to where we were,” Stafford said. “The damage that was being caused. The all-day drinking The behavior issues… We were just tearing up the grounds there.”