There were many who hoped that this year’s G-Day game, set for April 17 at Sanford Stadium, might see an easing-up of last fall’s attendance Covid-related restrictions.

That will not be the case.

Tuesday, athletic director Josh Brooks confirmed that capacity for the annual event will be along the lines of the 2020 season.

“We’re looking to make an announcement here this week, maybe even tomorrow, about that,” Brooks said during a Zoom session with reporters following Tuesday quarterly meeting of the UGA Athletic Association.

“We’ve been working on logistics. But I can tell you the capacity will be similar to what it was in the fall,” he said. “We intentionally kept those chair backs up. We kept those there knowing we could use them for now and potential commencement ceremonies.”

Last fall, attendance at Sanford Stadium was limited to 20 percent of its 92,746 capacity. The University of Florida announced it would not be having a spring game.

As it pertains to full attendance in the fall, Brooks has his fingers crossed.

“We’ve got to be ready for all scenarios, and we’ve got to learn we can pivot quickly. The first step is, we’re going to plan on having full stadiums,” Brooks said. “We’re going to be ready, but we can’t commit to a budget yet, until we know where we sit next fall.”

A final decision on that won’t come for several months.

“We’re going to play a lot of that by ear, but we’ve proven that we can pivot quickly,” he said. “The plan is, we’re going to plan for the best and adjust from there.

In other news:

…Georgia’s financial shortfall due to Covid-19 this fiscal year turned out to be better than anticipated. According to Brooks, the shortfall was amended to $30 million, down from the $55 million shortfall previously projected in September.

...Here's an update on the Butts-Mehre expansion and renovation project, which is proceeding on time and on budget. Phase One of this project is due for completion in late April, with the UGA football program set to begin its move-in process then. Brooks noted that the Development office has raised $71.5 million of the $80 million needed to complete the project.

…Brooks was also asked about potential upgrades to Foley Field.

“We’ve always got a plan and wish list for every facility we have, but it’s all about timing and what we can get to from a funding standpoint—and how that plays out down the road,” he said. “You look at a venue like that, envision what it would become one day, and who knows how soon that could be? But there’s opportunity for growth down both those lines."

Increasing the current capacity of 3,291 would not be the only area potentially addressed. Just don't expect final decisions anytime soon.

“You see a lot of baseball venues now. There are more common areas where it’s not so much stadium seating, but more high-boys, things like that, where people can gather, congregate, and move about. We’ve seen that in the outfields of some stadiums, so there’s potential there," Brooks said. "You could work that into maybe some more player development spaces as well—accomplish two things with one build. We’ve got those thoughts and wishes for every single facility. But we’ve got to be prudent as we work through each facility, to see how it all times up with the things we can afford; things we can take on, and the order in which we do them as well.”