CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate has created a Virtual Gameday for all home games during the 2020 Fighting Illini football season. The online, digital elements are designed to enhance the at-home viewing experience and maintain connections with fans during this unprecedented season.

ILLINI SECOND SCREEN: While watching the game on television, fans can fire up a laptop, mobile phone or tablet, tune into FightingIllini.com and follow the Busey Bank Illini Sport Network radio broadcast integrated with social media, video board elements, and Illini pageantry. It can also be seen on Illini Athletics Facebook Live. During the broadcast, the second screen will display ongoing social media posts from Fighting Illini fans joining the conversation from across the country using #illini. Fans will also be able to watch Marching Illini pregame and halftime performances as well as halftime interviews with former football student-athletes. The broadcast will also allow fans to view video board elements normally seen inside Memorial Stadium, including the intro and hype videos and pregame team warmups. 

Ways to Participate in the Second Screen experience:

• Tweet using the hashtag #illini and see your posts throughout the game on the Twitter ticker
• To start the game, tell us where you are watching the game during the UICCU Roll Call and help populate our Illini nationwide heat map.
• Show us pictures of your little Illini during the Illini Legacy Cam using hashtag #UIAAlegacycam

50/50 VIRTUAL RAFFLE: The popular 50/50 raffle is now online. Fans wishing to take part in the 50/50 can now log in to illini5050.com and purchase their tickets for a chance at half the weekly pot. Half of the proceeds from each drawing are won by one lucky winner, with the other half supporting student-athlete scholarships, international competition opportunities and other programmatic needs. Fans can purchase 3 tickets for $5, 20 tickets for $10, 60 tickets for $20 and 200 tickets for $50. Sales are open to Illinois residents and can be found at illini5050.com. Sales begin each Monday for all nine games and the winner will be selected at the end of game. 

VIRTUAL GAME PROGRAMS: Despite not being inside Memorial Stadium, fans can still get a gameday program downloaded directly to your computer, mobile phone or tablet. Log on to https://fightingillini.com/publications before each home game to get your copy of the publication filled with rosters, stats and visiting team information.  

FIGHTING ILLINI GAMEDAY RUN CLUB: The Fighting Illini Gameday Run Club hosted by Director of Athletics Josh Whitman has become a gameday tradition. There's no year off in 2020 just because fans can't be together in Champaign-Urbana. Instead, the Run Club Challenge can be accessed through the NIKE Run Club app. Participants can log miles alongside other Illini fans across the country. Prizes will be awarded for most miles completed and for anyone who can hang with Whitman throughout the season. 

FIGHTING ILLINI SOCIAL MEDIA: It is easy to stay involved in the Fighting Illini football conversation through @IlliniAthletics and @IlliniFootball social media platforms. Follow and post your content to Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Use #illini and see your content on the Illini Second Screen broadcast. 

OSKEE STUDENT REWARDS: Students can still earn reward points on the Oskee Rewards app for watching Fighting Illini games on campus. By checking in, each student can earn 50 points for toward prizes, and be entered into a weekly drawing for Coke Fighting Illini air pods. Oskee Rewards prizes include Fighting Illini and NIKE gear. 

FAN CUTOUTS: Fan cutouts have become a popular trend in Major League Baseball and the NFL this season, and Fighting Illini fans have been able to purchase cardboard cutouts to ensure a piece of them was inside Memorial Stadium for the 2020 football season. More than 1,100 fans took advantage of the opportunity and for an added donation to the Bobby Roundtree Trust, the cutout can be returned to fans with a Lovie Smith autograph. 

VIRTUAL STADIUM CLUB: Virtual Stadium Club has been designed to take the place of the pregame Stadium Club experience. For Illinois' four home games, I FUND members will log on to Zoom two hours before kickoff for an exclusive online event. Virtual Stadium Club is a digital version of one of the best pre-game hospitality tailgates in all of Big Ten football. It will include appearances by various Illinois celebrities, current head coaches and student-athletes, hundreds of dollars in Illini gear giveaways, and more. The first Virtual Stadium Club for the Purdue game will feature Director of Athletics Josh Whitman, and former Illinois football letterwinners.