The Florida High School Athletic Association and the Central Florida Sports Commission have announced that the FHSAA Football Finals will now take place December 8-10, 2016 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando rather than over the weekends of December 2-3, and December 9-10.
With the recently announced news of the ACC bringing its Football Championship game to Orlando, the FHSAA worked in collaboration with Florida Citrus Sports, City of Orlando and Central Florida Sports Commission to move its High School Football State Championships to December 8-10 at Camping World Stadium. This change moves the 1A-4A games from December 2-3 to December 8-9.
“At the request of our partners at the Central Florida Sports Commission, the City of Orlando and Florida Citrus Sports, we have agreed to move our championship games to a single, three-day weekend,” said FHSAA Executive Director Roger Dearing. “The FHSAA would like to thank its 1A-4A member schools for their understanding in this matter.”
Central Florida Sports Commission Interim President and CEO Jason Siegel expressed his appreciation of the FHSAA.
“We are grateful to the FHSAA for their flexibility as we worked with the City of Orlando and Florida Citrus Sports to bring the ACC Championship Game to Orlando,” he said. “We are fortunate to have them as a longtime partner and look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.”
Added Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, “Orlando has been home to the Florida High School Football State Championships since 2007, and being able to keep this tradition alive and add another major sporting event is a win-win for our community. We look forward to the continued partnership with the FHSAA.”
The three-day event was planned to begin in 2017 and 2018, but due to the ACC’s desire to relocate its championship game from North Carolina, the three-day format will begin one year early. Updated game times and dates will be released in early October.
“We are excited to showcase the best teams in each of the eight classifications over a three-day event. With all championship games being played in just three days, the conclusion of the Drive to December will be action packed,” said Dearing.
About the FHSAA
The Florida High School Athletic Association supervises and regulates interscholastic athletic programs for high school students at member public, private and charter schools. The organization also recognizes and honors academic achievement among student-athletes at almost 800 middle, junior and senior high schools statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, it is the official governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida.
About the Central Florida Sports Commission
The Central Florida Sports Commission pursues marquee and amateur sports events for Central Florida that drive visitors to our region. The Sports Commission represents the City of Orlando as well as Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. In 2015, the Sports Commission’s event calendar featured 77 events that drove more than 234,000 visitors, 196,000 room nights and $131 million in economic impact to the Central Florida region. Anchored by marquee events the American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship and Copa America Centenario, the Central Florida Sports Commission through its 93 events is projecting to drive nearly 300,000 visitors and $135 million in economic impact in 2016. For more information on the Central Florida Sports Commission, visit www.centralfloridasports.org | www.facebook.com/cflsports | www.twitter.com/cflsports
