College Football Playoff Awards New Contract to Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

Atlanta’s bowl game is secure in the New Year’s Six through 2025-26 season.

ATLANTA (July 13, 2018) – College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock today announced a new contract has been signed with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, securing its inclusion in the CFP through the 2025-26 football season.

The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl was originally invited to be one of the elite New Year’s Six bowl games hosting the College Football Playoff in 2013. The Bowl hosted its first CFP game in 2014 and its first College Football Playoff Semifinal in 2016. It will next host the Semifinal in 2019.

“This is a tremendous win for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and an enormous win for the city of Atlanta,” said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and president. “It is the highest form of validation for the growth and success of our game and our future in the CFP, and it will be a tremendous benefit to Atlanta, its economy and its significance as the college football capital of the world.”

The new agreement will ensure the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will host the College Football Playoff Semifinal in 2022 and 2025 and that its games in non-Semifinal years will feature top-ranked teams as assigned by the College Football Playoff selection committee.

“We are delighted to continue the relationship with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the people of Atlanta,” Hancock said. “Gary Stokan and staff do a great job, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a terrific venue. Atlanta has all the infrastructure and people to make the engine purr.”

Financially, the contract extension will be a windfall for the city of Atlanta, guaranteeing the Bowl’s significant economic impact for years to come.

“The importance of our inclusion in the College Football Playoff cannot be overstated from a financial perspective,” Peach Bowl, Inc. Chairman Bob Somers said. “The numbers speak for themselves. We simply have a greater impact across the board as a part of the CFP and we are delivering substantial impact on par with the biggest sporting events out there on an annual basis.”

For comparative purposes, the positive economic benefit from the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is roughly equal to that of the NCAA Final Four, CFP National Championship or Super Bowl every 3-5 years. The benefit for the local Atlanta community is that these impacts are guaranteed every year as opposed to rotating events that the city has to bid for that may only come to Atlanta every 10-15 years.

“This is a great opportunity for Atlanta and one the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl worked hard to earn,” said William Pate, president and CEO, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It has a significant economic impact and solidifies Atlanta’s position as the capital of college football.”

Since its first CFP game in 2014, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has:

• Drawn 283,818 visitors and fans to its game
• Been watched on ESPN by an additional 41 million viewers
• Distributed $48 million in team payouts
• Delivered $179.3 million in economic impact for Georgia
• Generated $14.8 million in direct tax revenue for Atlanta
• Disbursed $15.1 million in charitable and scholarship contributions

These numbers represent a 43.6 percent increase in economic impact, a 180 percent increase in tax revenue, and a 32.2 percent increase in television viewership – on average – over Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl results prior to joining the College Football Playoff.

This year’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is set for Dec. 29 at noon ET and will feature top-ranked teams from around the country as determined by the CFP. Last year, No. 12 UCF defeated No. 7 Auburn 34-27 in front of a sold-out crowd of 71,109.

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About Peach Bowl, Inc.:

Peach Bowl, Inc. operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, one of the New Year’s Six Bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff. Last year, the Peach Bowl celebrated its Golden Season, including its 50-year history of traditions and successes as the nation’s ninth-oldest bowl organization. The Bowl has earned a reputation as one of the most competitive bowls in the country, with 54 percent of its games being decided by a touchdown or less. Peach Bowl, Inc. has disbursed $240.5 million in team payouts over its 50-year history. Peach Bowl, Inc. also leads all other bowl game organizations in charitable and scholarship contributions, giving more than $31 million to organizations in need since 2002. Peach Bowl, Inc. also runs the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, manages The Dodd Trophy national coach of the year award and led the relocation and financial foundation of the College Football Hall of Fame to Atlanta. For more information, visit Chick-fil-APeachBowl.com or follow us on Twitter at @CFAPeachBowl and find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/CFAPeachBowl.

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