photo by: Associated Press

Cutouts of fans fill empty seats in Kauffman Stadium during the fourth inning of a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The Kansas City Royals on Thursday announced that, for the first time in 18 months, fans will be allowed back into Kauffman Stadium beginning April 1, when the Royals host the Texas Rangers to open the 2021 regular season.

According to a news release, the initial plan calls for pod-style seating to accommodate 10,000 fans per game, with goals in place to expand the capacity monthly as the season progresses and it is safe to do so.

“I can’t wait to welcome our fans back to Kauffman Stadium for Opening Day”, said John Sherman, Chairman and CEO of the Royals. “I am grateful for all of the support our fans and partners extended to us during these remarkable times. Our ownership group is excited about this 2021 Royals team. We look forward to a great summer watching the Royals compete on behalf of this great community.”

Royals GM Dayton Moore said in the release that the lack of fans during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season was “a huge missing component” that was “felt by all of us.”

“We play this game for our fans,” Moore added. “And the anticipation of seeing even a percentage of them in the ballpark when 2021 begins makes us wish we could open the season tomorrow.”

Kauffman Stadium will look different at the outset, as the Royals have been working in concert for months with Kansas City health officials and the Jackson County Sports Authority to ensure fan safety.

New protocols and guidelines include beginning the season with a seating capacity of approximately 30%. Beginning next week, season ticket holders will have priority access to select their seats for the 13 scheduled home games in April. While fans with season tickets will have priority, the general public will have the option to purchase single-game tickets on March 24. Future home game sale dates will be announced later.

“2020 presented so many challenges, not the least of which was getting baseball back on the field, if even for just 60 games,” said Royals manager Mike Matheny. “Among those challenges was playing the game we all love without having any fans in attendance throughout the entire regular season. Words cannot describe how excited all of us are to be able to open at home on April 1 in front of as many of our blue-clad fans that the protocols will allow. It will be a completely different environment than last year and bring a little more normalcy to our sport and lives.”

Added Royals star Whit Merrifield: “Just playing in front of a few fans right now in spring training has made these games so much more exciting and interesting for all of us. The thought of at least 10,000 fans in Kauffman Stadium on April 1 makes my juices flow already. Knowing our fans, they’ll make it sound like the ballpark is packed. We can’t wait to come home and play in front of our fans.”