--- title: "What You Need to Know in Fall 2024: Athletics and Recreation" date: 2024-08-30T05:30:00-04:00 author: University of Maryland canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/what-you-need-to-know-in-fall-2024-athletics-and-recreation" section: Articles --- # What You Need to Know in Fall 2024: Athletics and Recreation *August 30, 2024* — by [Annie Krakower](/author/annie-krakower) > With New Opponents, Fitness Equipment and Programs, You Can Cheer on the Terps—and Hit the Field or Court Yourself *230902 mlm fb towson 1865 1920x1080 — Terp fans unfurl the giant Maryland flag during the football team’s home opener last year vs. Towson. UMD kicks off its 2024 season vs. UConn at noon Saturday at SECU Stadium, and students, faculty and staff can cheer on Terp teams across sports by claiming tickets or using their university ID.* Whether belting out the Victory Song, jumping up and down in the stadium or hoisting the giant Maryland flag as it unfurls down the stands, University of Maryland fans will get a workout this fall. But beyond taking in the action as several varsity sports kick off their seasons this week, Terps can get active themselves in scores of club and intramural options, fitness classes and other programs. Here’s how to get in the game and get fit this fall and beyond: **Varsity Athletics** Students, faculty and staff just need their university ID to attend home games free of charge—with the exception of football and men’s basketball events. The student activity fee can also cover free entry to those games, but students need to claim tickets in advance. (Maryland Athletics also encourages them to claim women’s basketball tickets ahead of time.) Like last year, they can do so by using their university login credentials at [umterps.com/student](https://app.umterps.com/studentcentral)—they no longer have to create an account with a separate personal identification number. Claim periods for football open at 8 a.m. three Tuesdays before each game and close at 8 a.m. the following Thursday, or until inventory is exhausted. ([Claim periods](https://img.umterps.com/Web/PACmaryland/%7B3f74979d-91e7-4a7c-863a-43eed2416134%7D_2024_FB_StudentDistribution.pdf) have already opened for the Terps’ home games vs. UConn and Michigan State.) If seats are still available after the period closes, students can then purchase guest tickets. The claim periods for basketball are less regular, but for both sports, if demand exceeds supply, a loyalty-based lottery system goes into effect; students earn more entries by attending more games. Loyalty points are sport-specific and don’t carry over year to year, and students lose points if they claim a ticket they don’t use. For faculty and staff, 20% discounted season tickets are available for football and men’s basketball. They can also purchase reserved seats for women’s basketball, but general admission is free. In addition, Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics Damon Evans announced that faculty and staff could [claim](https://app.umterps.com/LP=291) up to two complimentary tickets to football’s home opener on Saturday vs. UConn (the deadline to claim those was Tuesday) or the Friday night game vs. Northwestern on Oct. 11, courtesy of SECU. Faculty and staff appreciation games also offer free or discounted tickets for up to two guests and feature special shoutouts during the competitions. This fall, those games are slated for women’s soccer (Sept. 22), volleyball (Oct. 5 and 7) and field hockey (Oct. 14). A record number of students claimed football tickets last year, averaging nearly 12,000 per game. And as UMD celebrates a [decade in the Big Ten](https://today.umd.edu/10-in-10), adding four West Coast teams to the conference only amps up the hype, said Jordan Looby, associate athletic director of marketing strategy and fan experience. “The Big Ten traditionally has incredible opponents that people want to come watch,” he said. “Now, we’ve added a team that went to the College Football Playoff last year (Washington), teams like USC and UCLA that are just traditional powers, and Oregon, who is a top five team for football. So that’s going to be really exciting.” **Club and Intramural Sports** *students play volleyball — Students play intramural volleyball last year. (Photo courtesy of RecWell)* *students exercise in fitness class — Terps participate in a UBox fitness class last fall. (Photo courtesy of RecWell)* **Sidebar note:** **What You Need to Know** All week in Maryland Today, we’ve featured important information for the campus community this semester on the following topics: - Monday: [Dining](https://today.umd.edu/what-you-need-to-know-in-fall-2024-dining-services) - Tuesday: [Transportation](https://today.umd.edu/what-you-need-to-know-in-fall-2024-getting-around-campus) - Wednesday: [New Facilities](https://today.umd.edu/what-you-need-to-know-in-fall-2024-facilities) - Thursday: [Libraries](https://today.umd.edu/what-you-need-to-know-in-fall-2024-learning-support-and-libraries) - Friday: Athletics **Topics:** [Athletics](https://today.umd.edu/tags/athletics), [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community) **Tags:** [Health and Fitness](https://today.umd.edu/topic/health-and-fitness), [Student Experience](https://today.umd.edu/topic/student-experience) **Units:** [Department of Intercollegiate Athletics](https://today.umd.edu/topic/department-intercollegiate-athletics), [Division of Student Affairs](https://today.umd.edu/topic/division-student-affairs), [University Recreation and Wellness](https://today.umd.edu/topic/university-recreation-and-wellness)