Early-bird Huskie Club members have scooped up the 125 student tailgating spots on the east side of the stadium, but passes can still be purchased for a spot on the soccer field.

Students must first join the Huskie Club, which costs $25, to purchase a $25 tailgating parking pass. Since the east-side stadium spots are no longer available, students will receive a pass that will be a different color and have an “S” for soccer field, said Darian Westerfield, assistant director of development for athletics.

The soccer field is typically reserved for $100 donors to NIU, Westerfield said, but this year it will be open to Huskie Club members who purchase the pass.

So far, more than 150 students have joined the Huskie Club.

“We’re excited that the students have embraced it, and we have been pleased with how it has been going,” Westerfield said.

Westerfield said there is plenty of availability for tailgating spots on the soccer field, and although it is also designated for $100 donors, they have never had capacity problems in the past and don’t anticipate any this year.

Mostly all general parking around the stadium is now through the Huskie Club, Westerfield said. That way, a Bowling Green fan wouldn’t be able to tailgate before a game on Huskie territory, he said.

Those students who are not Huskie Club members and do not have a parking pass can still park their cars for tailgating at the Convocation Center for $5. If students do not plan to bring a car, they are welcome to tailgate in any of the designated areas.

Tailgating for Saturday’s season opener against the Southern Illinois University Salukis will begin at noon.

About 3,000 of the 6,000 student-reserved tickets are still available for the game. Students with a valid NIU OneCard can pick up one free ticket and purchase up to four additional student-section tickets for $10. Tickets can be picked up in advance at the Convo Center box office and the Holmes Student Center.

If students don’t get them before Saturday, they can still pick them up at one of the 14 stadium box-office windows that will be open on game day, said Beth Calder, assistant ticket manager for athletics.

In previous years, students were granted admission into the games with an NIU OneCard, but after last year’s football team brought record-breaking crowds to the stadium, the policy was changed and will continue to be standard for this season, Calder said.

She said she encourages students to pick up tickets as early as possible. As of Thursday, Calder said there were plenty of seats available for Saturday’s game. About 800 reserved seats on the west side and 1,000 general admission tickets are still available, she said.