First & Goal: Issue 3

HOST TO

THE OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF THE STADIUM EVENTS ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

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ISSUE 3 • SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

The College Football Playoff announces a weekend’s worth of fan events that offer something for everyone BY JAIME ARON

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onsider this the “Save The Date” edition of this newsletter.

See, the fact you are reading this means you are a college football fan, and probably with the good fortune of living in North Texas. You probably also know

start blocking out some slots to make sure you get the most out of a fun, busy weekend of activities leading up to kickoff.

“We really want the community to touch and feel this entire national championship throughout the whole weekend,” said Tommy Bain, Chairman of the Stadium Events Organizing Committee.

“The days are gone when an event is just at the stadium on game day,” added Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff. “These events now reach out to the whole community. They’ve become

everyone’s event. People are going to love it.”

Here are the plans released so far:

“These events now reach out to the whole community. They’ve become everyone’s event. People are going to love it.” that the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship is coming to AT&T Stadium on Monday, Jan. 12. Well, now it’s time to get out your calendar and

PLAYOFF FAN CENTRAL

+ FRIDAY, JAN. 9 – 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. + SATURDAY, JAN. 10 – 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. + SUNDAY, JAN. 11 – Noon to 8 p.m.

FAN FRIENDLY: Bill Hancock, the Executive Director of the College Football Playoff, helped announce the fan events at a news conference at AT&T Stadium on Aug. 29.

www.stadiumeoc.com | www.collegefootballplayoff.com

Held inside the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas, this is a traditional fan festival — with some new twists, like a 100-yard football field and enough seats for about 4,500 people to watch interviews with players and coaches on Media Day that Saturday.

All weekend, the festival will feature interactive experiences, sponsor booths and meet-andgreets with current and former players. Considering the size of this facility, there will be plenty to see and do. Be sure to bring kids, friends and a camera.

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ISSUE 3

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

MARK YOUR CALENDARS, CONT.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF WANTS TO GIVE MOMS A “HEADS UP” ON FOOTBALL Educational program stresses safety and the love of the game

T PLAYOFF PLAYLIST LIVE!

While it’s a mouthful to say, it’ll be a joy to hear — a music festival held during championship weekend at the American Airlines Center.

Multiple performers will take the stage each day, with A-list headliners taking over at night.

Who will be performing? What are the exact dates and times?

You’ll find out sometime this fall. Ticket-buying details also will be forthcoming, although organizers are promising that prices will be very reasonable relative to the high-end talent they’re booking.

CHAMPIONSHIP TAILGATE

he College Football Playoff has announced details on the Heads Up Football Moms and Youth Clinics which will take place on Jan. 10, two days before the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Part of Playoff Fan Central, the event will be at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and will teach the game’s fundamentals and address player safety topics. The clinic will also include education on concussion recognition and response, heat preparedness and hydration, Heads SM Up Tackling and equipment fitting.

The Heads Up Football Moms Clinic will be available to moms on a first-come, first-served basis.

Speakers at the event will include top coaches and administrators, as well as college team physicians and athletic trainers. The noncontact Heads Up Football Youth Clinic will also feature select speakers and will focus on the education of young players through various techniques.

“We value the trust and commitment shown to us by the College Football Playoff,” USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck said. “National champions in every sport exude strong fundamentals, which are a hallmark of our Heads Up Football program. The perpetual innovation that envelopes our game is reflected in Heads Up Football and is punctuated by its success. USA Football will continue to establish important standards rooted in education and we are proud to advance them with the endorsement of the CFP.” Those interested in registering for the clinics are encouraged to visit www.collegefootballplayoff.com later this fall for more information.

“This event will be beneficial to all those in attendance as it will provide hands-on answers to mothers and young football players.”

“We are pleased to announce this important partnership with USA Football,” said Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff. “Heads Up Football is a great program that helps make football safer. This event will be beneficial to all those in attendance as it will provide hands-on answers to mothers and young football players. We all love football, and educational opportunities like these will make the game better.”

+ GAME DAY, Noon to 6 p.m.

The sights, sounds, smells and tastes of a college football game start long before kickoff, mixing together in the parking lot to put everyone in a festive mood. Regardless of whether your team is playing, the CONTINUED →

BOOK A SPEAKER Interested in learning more about the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship and what it means to the North Texas Region? Contact the SEOC about possibly booking a speaker at your next event. To learn more, email Tony Fay at tony@stadiumeoc.com.

www.stadiumeoc.com | www.collegefootballplayoff.com

ISSUE 3

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

MARK YOUR CALENDARS, CONT.

pageantry makes for a great show.

Add in cheerleaders and bands, and of course the stakes of this being the title game, and it’s sure to be an atmosphere unlike any other.

The setup around AT&T Stadium is ideal, as each team’s fan base will be anchored at one of the plazas on each end of the football-shaped building.

This event will be free, providing you have a ticket to the game. An added bonus of getting there early enough to soak it all in is avoiding the traffic caused by those who aren’t able to take advantage of this opportunity.

“College football is tailgating, and this stadium provides a fabulous environment to do that,” Bain said.

If this multiday-rampup-togametime format sounds somewhat familiar, that’s because it builds on the plans were successfully executed when the Super Bowl

NOTHING BUT SMILES: In much the same way that the NFL Experience allows fans to immerse themselves in the love of football prior to the Super Bowl, the CFP Fan Central will bring 500,000 square feet of family fun to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.

Conference USA. “They’ll have a lot of work to do because it will be big shoes to fill.”

While everything listed so far requires a ticket, there will be other, free opportunities for fans to be part of the action. One way is catching the ESPN GameDay crews that will be working live from North Texas throughout the weekend. They’re setting up shop in both Sundance Square in Fort Worth, and Klyde Warren Park in Dallas.

“We know fans of the teams that are going to be playing in the game are going to be fired up, but we want to complement it with events for the fans right here in this market,” said Michael Kelly, Chief

“We know fans of the teams that are going to be playing in the game are going to be fired up, but we want to complement it with events for the fans right here in this market.” and Final Four were held at AT&T Stadium. In fact, this made-inNorth-Texas model is so good that it will be sticking with the title game when it moves to Arizona in 2016, Florida in 2017 … and perhaps back to North Texas soon after that.

“Phoenix and Tampa will have a solid template,” said Britton Banowsky, commissioner of

TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE! Good seats for the Advocare Showdown, featuring the Texas Longhorns vs. the UCLA Bruins at AT&T Stadium, are still available. The game kicks off this Saturday night (September 13) at 7 p.m. Go to www.ticketmaster.com to purchase.

www.stadiumeoc.com | www.collegefootballplayoff.com

Operating Officer of the College Football Playoff, which happens to have its headquarters in Irving.

“We know how much Texas loves college football, and this is going to be the pre-eminent celebration of college football. That’s what we are shooting for.”

Another staple of these majorevent weekends in North Texas is a media party highlighted by the presentation of the Blackie Sherrod Award. Previous winners include Dan Jenkins, Frank Luksa, Pat Summerall and Verne Lundquist. The next member of that prestigious group will be Brad Sham, the longtime voice of the Cowboys and longtime Cotton Bowl board member. Bain made this announcement during the news conference about the championship weekend events.

Sham was the emcee of that news conference, yet he had no idea this was coming.

“These reporters generally think they know everything,” laughed Hancock, who was seated between Bain and Sham. “Not so fast, Mr. Sham!”

“Wow, I’m really speechless,” Sham said. “To prove it, I’ll shut up.”