TAMPA (WFLA) – The Buccaneers will host the Chicago Bears at Raymond James Stadium this Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Bucs, in consultation with the NFL and the Tampa Sports Authority, waited to assess the impact of Hurricane Irma on the area before making a final decision on the venue for the game.
“We have been working tirelessly with the Tampa Sports Authority, as well as the NFL league office, to ensure that Raymond James Stadium would be available to host our season opener against the Chicago Bears this Sunday.” said Buccaneers Chief Operating Officer Brian Ford. “Hosting the game is important to us, as Tampa Bay has been through a lot over the past few days. We look forward to providing our fans and the entire region an opportunity to come together this Sunday to kick off our 2017 season.”
Sunday’s game marks Tampa Bay’s season opener and the third straight season that the Buccaneers have played host to the Bears, including last season’s 36-10 Tampa Bay victory.
Tampa will not be offering football game parking at Al Lopez Park on Sunday.
The park will be the site of a FEMA public distribution site of food and water. Given the expected traffic of the distribution activities, parking will not be offered for the Buccaneers home game.
Normal game day parking operations are expected to resume for the Buccaneers next scheduled home game on Sunday Sept. 24.
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