Mizzou’s Thursday night soccer game impacts Colombia’s economy and transportation

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The return of Mizzou football is just a day away and the game is expected to bring several thousand fans to Columbia.

The season begins Thursday night against Louisiana Tech and brings several thousand to Columbia, impacting the city’s economy, safety and traffic.

“You have in-state fans, out-of-state fans and you also have the visiting team. They come into town and spend the night, eat at our restaurants, buy our retail, so it’s having a big impact on the City of Columbia,” said Amy Schneider, director of the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau.

A local company said they are looking forward to the start of the football season.

“We’re excited to see the entire team we’re keeping fed and happy all summer and they’re really excited,” said Jason Paetzold, owner of Bud’s BBQ.

Some companies said they were concerned they might not see as much business with football on a Thursday as on a Saturday.

“I don’t think we’ll see it until after that. We haven’t had a Thursday game since 2015, so I don’t know exactly what it’s going to be like,” said Schneider.

Thursday night soccer is a big deal for the university.

“This is a wonderful start to our season, it’s a great opportunity for us to get a chance at national level,” said Christian Basi, spokesman for MU.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol works with the university and other agencies to address traffic issues. With the game on a Thursday and more fans in the area, people should expect increased traffic, according to Patrol.

The university is asking some employees to stay home to help with traffic control.

“We have asked every employee who can work from home and is not in a publicly-facing role to start working from home tomorrow at noon,” Basi said.

The university is working with several authorities to ensure the safety of Thursday’s activities.

Basi says it’s important for people to stay hydrated, stay alert, and speak up if they see anything.

Go to Como is offering free rides to the stadium tomorrow at 4:30pm. People are asked to park in the Armory parking lot and take a shuttle from there.