Have a busy schedule but want to check out half, or even just a few minutes, of a soccer or field hockey game at Blue & Gold Stadium ... without paying admission?

No problem.

Newtown High School’s athletics department has stopped charging admission for all home games with one exception: Football. And even when it comes to Friday night lights at Blue & Gold Stadium students in town no longer have to pay to support their classmates or older peers on the grid iron, and senior citizens get a discount, too.

“Our goal is to make the events community events. The last thing we want to do is nickel and dime people when we don’t have to,” NHS Athletic Director Matt Memoli said. “I think we were discouraging a lot of people from stopping by the games.”

Football is the school’s best attended game, as well as the most expensive sport to fund, Memoli noted, which is why NHS will continue to charge for entry to those contests. The cost is $10 for the general public and $5 for senior citizens and non-NHS students, including those from visiting teams; for all students in town there is no charge.

Previously, tickets were $8 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students for most sports. Fall sport exceptions are volleyball, swimming, and cross country, which previously did not have admission charges. Newtown public school staff will continue to have free entry to games.

The NHS teams stand to get more fan support as a result of this and the change has already had an impact.

“It really paid off. Our first boys’ soccer game it was packed,” Memoli said.

The game entry pricing will continue into the winter and carry over into the spring so fans of basketball and other sports have that to look forward to in the coming months.

Newtown’s football team has its first home game this Friday, September 20, when New Fairfield visits at 7 pm. Complete schedule information may be found at nighthawksports.com (use the pull-down menu under the fall, winter and spring sports tabs) as well as at casciac.org where you can pull up schedule information by school and sport.

Digital tickets are required and cash will not be accepted at the entry gates. Fans should visit gofan.co and search “Newtown Nighthawks” to find a list of games and to purchase seats to the games.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.