Some Steelers fans were stuck in long lines outside of Heinz Field Sunday as many used the team's new paperless ticketing features for the first time.
The Steelers implemented a paperless ticketing policy ahead of the 2021 season, requiring fans to download an app and their tickets to get into home games.
Allegheny County Councilmember Nick Futules was at the game Sunday and told Marty Griffin there were still massive lines as the game started.
"There were literally at least 20 to 30,000 people that couldn't get into the game prior to kickoff," he said.
Steelers spokesperson Burt Lauten said the team is aware of the issue and that some people showed up to the gate without downloading their tickets, causing a bottleneck.
He added they expected some growing pains as fans got used to the new policy. They're asking fans to download their tickets before the game and give themselves extra time to get to their seats.
"This is a learning lesson moving forward to make sure that for next week's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, we do have them downloaded well in advance for they even come down for the game, preferably," he said. "Another part of that is to make sure that they get in early."
Lauten also said there were some longer lines at concession stands as fans and staff got used to cashless payments, as well.
"We are looking into it right now to figure out how we can make sure it doesn't happen again this Sunday," he said.
For full instructions on how to make sure your tickets are ready for game day, visit the Steelers website.