ACC Championship Location on the Move to Tampa!?
by ACCTampaBay
on Dec 12, 2007 11:09 PM EST
GREENSBORO, NC -- The Atlantic Coast Conference has awarded its future Football Championship Games to Tampa Bay and to Charlotte, John Swofford, the Commissioner of the ACC, announced Wednesday....
JScott:
This is fairly interesting news. I'm kind of disheartened by it, as I enjoyed Jacksonville and its one of a kind stadium, but as they say, "The show must go on" ..... Tampa isnt a bad site at all, especially since the games will be played in MY Tampa Bay Buccaneer's Raymond James Stadium in '08 & '09..... Not Bad, Not Bad at all, until of course the Championship Game moves to the Carolina Panthers Dome (Charlotte) in 2010 & 2011.... They moved on this issue pretty quick. I can't say I'm that shocked. I know this excites a lot of you...
Swofford announced that the league has awarded its football title game to Tampa Bay for the 2008 and 2009 seasons and to Charlotte for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The decision was reached unanimously Wednesday morning on a conference call of the league's athletics directors and faculty athletics representatives which culminated a seven-month bid and selection process which began last June.
The sequencing of the cities was largely influenced by a city-wide convention in Charlotte in 2008, which limited access to key Uptown hotels and ancillary event areas. The awarding of the Championship Game for four years allowed the Conference to meet each city's request to host the event for a consecutive two-year period.
"We are extremely excited about the future of the ACC Football Championship game at these sites," said Swofford. "Both Tampa Bay and Charlotte are tremendous destinations in terms of their football venue, community support and partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference. Both locations have outstanding leadership as well as surrounding communities that have embraced the opportunity to continue the growth of our championship game."
The ACC's Football Championship Games on December 6, 2008 and December 5, 2009 will be held at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League, the Outback Bowl, as well as Super Bowls XXXV (2001) and XLIII (2009).
"We are excited about the opportunity to not only host, but to also grow this game to a level that's befitting of the Atlantic Coast Conference," said Jeff Adams, Chairman of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission. "Based on the overwhelming support we have received from the Tampa Bay community, we are confident that we will meet and exceed the ACC's expectations."
The Conference's title games on December 4, 2010 and December 3, 2011 will be held at Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers and the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
"Charlotte is delighted to have been chosen to host the 2010 and 2011 ACC Football Championship Games," said Tim Newman, CEO of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.
"With many amenities coming on line by 2010 including the NASCAR Hall of Fame and several new hotels and entertainment venues within walking distance of Bank of America Stadium, ACC fans will have a great time in Charlotte for those games.
"We wish Tampa Bay much success for 2008 and 2009 and look forward to bringing the Championship to a great centralized location for all ACC Fans in 2010 and 2011. Many fans will get a preview of what Charlotte now offers when we host the 2008 ACC Men's Basketball Championship next March."
The first three Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Games were held in Jacksonville, Fla.
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Jax
In a way, you can go ahead and blame both schools' recent drop-off as a contributing factor to the move. A lot of people who might, otherwise, have little interest in ACC football aren't exactly enticed by the recent "parity" in the conference.
They want to see traditional powers like FSU or UM playing with a trip to the BCS title game hanging in the balance. They aren't going to fork out money to see Wake vs GT or VT vs BC. It's not the same as going to see the SEC or Big 12 title games where you're pretty much guaranteed a great game regardless of whether you follow the schools or conferences. Although, if teams like Vandy, Mississippi State, Baylor, and Iowa State somehow start regularly making their respective conference title games, you'd probably see a drastic drop-off in those attendence figures as well.
With teams like Wake, VT, and BC now looking like they will be playing for the title more often, it makes sense to move the game to a more travel friendly site for all of the schools in the conference (Assuming that Charlotte remains the site after 2011). I'm not fully understanding the reasoning behind the decision to play the game in Tampa for 2 years. But, having family in the area, I might be inclined to actually go to one of those games even if FSU isn't playing.
Don't be surprised to see them alternate between Tampa and Charlotte if FSU and UM return to form and stay there by the time they get around to picking the site of the game beyond 2011.
by Nolelando on Dec 13, 2007 8:42 AM EST 0 recs
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