Champs Sports and Florida Citrus Sports announced a two-year extension of the title sponsorship for America’s fastest-growing bowl game, the Champs Sports Bowl. The extension will continue the partnership through 2009.
The 2006 Champs Sports Bowl will be played in primetime this December. The game, first of two bowls hosted in Orlando only 65 hours apart, will kick off at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 29, airing nationwide on ESPN.
The bowl has made great strides since moving to Orlando in 2001. Attendance has increased steadily every year since the move and sold over 40,000 tickets last year. The game takes another step forward in 2006 with an agreement with the Big Ten Conference. The bowl will now pair upper-tier teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big Ten. The Champs Sports Bowl will receive the third post-BCS selection in the ACC and either the third or fourth post-BCS pick in the Big Ten. Currently, the Champs Sports Bowl is the only bowl match-up between the ACC and Big Ten.
The Champs Sports Bowl has existed in name since 2004, but the game’s history extends for over 15 years. Originating as the Blockbuster Bowl in 1990 and played in Miami, the game was played under a number of titles before moving to Orlando and serving as a reincarnation of the old Tangerine Bowl.It was the addition of Champs Sports as a title sponsor that allowed Florida Citrus Sports to aggressively pursue the growth and development that made the game what it is today.
Tickets for the game will be $50 before November 1 and $60 thereafter. Memberships for the Florida Citrus Sports 2006-2007 season, many of which include tickets to both the Champs Sports Bowl and the Capital One Bowl, are now available. Please call 407.423.2476 or visit www.FCSports.com for more information.
With 560 stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, Champs Sports, a primarily mall-based sports-specialty retailer, features the latest styles in athletic footwear, apparel, hats, and accessories, as well as pro and college team gear.
Champs Sports is a part of Foot Locker, Inc., an athletic specialty retailer that operates approximately 4,000 stores in 20 countries in North America, Europe and Australia. Through its Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, and Champs Sports retail stores, as well as its direct-to-consumer channel Footlocker.com/Eastbay, the company is the leading provider of athletic footwear and apparel.
