High school sports events now have Gov. Tom Wolf’s blessing to permit bigger crowds outdoors and indoors. The Steelers and Pitt are allowed to start having fans, too.

Wolf’s office on Tuesday announced new gathering limits for Pennsylvania. The limits go into effect Friday and are based on a percentage of maximum occupancy. The new limits allow up to 7,500 people at an outdoor facility that has maximum occupancy of more than 10,000. The first major event with that upper-end capacity in place will be Sunday’s Steelers-Eagles game.

Pitt football’s next home game is Oct. 24 against Notre Dame. When it comes to Penn State, because of guidelines related to the Big Ten’s return to play, only families will be allowed at Beaver Stadium for football games.

“This updated directive on stadium capacity will most directly allow families of our football student-athletes and essential staff involved in the game day operation to be present this fall,” a Penn State spokeswoman said in a statement. “We are pleased to be able to accommodate those closest to our football program and enable them to cheer on their family members.”

Both the Steelers and Pitt said in August that fans wouldn’t be allowed in Heinz Field through at least September. These new gathering limits, however, will be somewhat of a relief for high schools, which have wrestled for weeks with how to manage games under Wolf’s previous gathering limits of 250 outdoors and 25 indoors. But some schools were already allowing more than 250 fans at football games.

Wolf’s new limits for outdoor events are:

— 25% of maximum capacity in a facility that holds 1-2,000 people.

— 20% of maximum capacity for a facility that holdS 2,001 to 10,000.

— 15% of maximum capacity or a limit of 7,500 people for a facility that holds over 10,000.

Some high schools were allowing fewer than 100 fans at football games and no fans at girls volleyball games inside gymnasiums. The new indoor limits will certainly change things for high schools — and for basketball if the limits are still in effect. For example, a high school gym that holds 1,000 people can now take 200 fans.

Here are the new indoor limits:

— 20% of maximum capacity in a facility that holds 1 to 2,000.

— 15% of maximum capacity in a facility that holds 2,001 to 10,000 people.

— 10% of maximum capacity or a limit of 3,750 people for a facility that holds over 10,000.

That means Penguins hockey games, should the limits be in effect and the NHL play games at home arenas, will be permitted to have 3,750 people at PPG Paints Arena, as well as Pitt basketball games at Petersen Events Center.

Wolf’s new gathering limits require that fans still wear masks, social distance and follow local restrictions.

“Pennsylvanians must continue to social distance and wear masks as we prepare to fight the virus through the fall and winter,” Wolf said in a statement. “Regardless of the size of an event or gathering, those things are still imperative to stopping the spread of COVID. We know everyone has sacrificed in many ways and today’s announcement reflects a gradual adjustment to our lives as we learn how we can do things safely until we have a cure, or an effective vaccine is widely available.

“We will closely monitor cases and outbreaks and if our case investigation and contact tracing efforts determine that events or gatherings are the source of an outbreak, we can and will dial back these new limits,” said Rachel Levine, the state’s health secretary. “Public health and safety are our first concern and will always remain as such.”

Bob Lombardi, PIAA executive director, said the organization is “pleased” with the relaxed standards.

“We believe it will really help in getting all parents and guardians into games, especially in girls volleyball and water polo,” Lombardi said. “The other (outdoor) numbers, I think schools can work with, especially in getting at least the parents, cheerleaders and bands into the game that will create a little better atmosphere. But they’ll have safe procedures in place.”

The PIAA plans to have six football championships Nov. 27-28 at Hersheypark Stadium. Lombardi said capacity at the facility is 16,000. That would allow 2,400 people in attendance, which Lombardi said would suit the PIAA fine this year.