MISSOULA — It’s almost time for football season, but if you want to get into Griz games this year, you'll need a clear plastic bag that's 12" by 12" by 12".
The change is part of the University of Montana's effort to ramp up security measures at sporting events.
University of Montana Associate Athletic Director Chuck Maes said the policy will help streamline the process of going through security.
"We decided two years ago that we needed to go to a clear bag policy," he explained. "So rather than just doing it right off the bat, we chose to wait a year and get the word out and let fans know about it and let them know it was coming."
Montana State University implemented a similar policy last year.
“You know, we’ve been talking with them, working with them very closely, and they said that really it went very well," Maes said. "We expect there will be some hiccups, we expect there will be some problems at the gates that well need to deal with.”
Maes added it will be a learning curve, but the goal is to make games safer. The policy became effective in August, just before the first home Grizzly football game on September 7.
You can get bags at the M Store, Universal Athletics, and Bob Wards. Blankets, binoculars and warm jackets are still allowed and do not need to fit in the bag.
The full policy can be found here .
