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All State Championship Games to be Played in Tallahassee?

Perspective

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Perspective College Starter

Perspective

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The Tallahassee Democrat is reporting that the FHSAA and Bragg Memorial  Stadium (home of Florida A & M) are in the final stages of negotiations for all nine state championship games to be played in Tallahassee at that stadium (artificial turf/20,000 capacity).  Starting this season?  Article is not clear.  

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Perspective College Starter

Perspective

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I like that it's an artificial turf field (it really has to be in order to play 9 games in 3 days -- or longer if they spread it out over two weeks) and I like the size of the stadium (20,000 is just about right for a high school championship game . . . could even create a sell-out or two).  But, and I can't say this any other way, it flat out sucks for South Florida teams.  6-7 hour drives for teams/parents/cheerleaders/bands/fans?  Ouch! 

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DarterBlue2 College All-American 1st Team

DarterBlue2

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1 hour ago, Perspective said:

I like that it's an artificial turf field (it really has to be in order to play 9 games in 3 days -- or longer if they spread it out over two weeks) and I like the size of the stadium (20,000 is just about right for a high school championship game . . . could even create a sell-out or two).  But, and I can't say this any other way, it flat out sucks for South Florida teams.  6-7 hour drives for teams/parents/cheerleaders/bands/fans?  Ouch! 

It does, but has happened before. At the beginning of this century, I believe the first three years were in Tally. The Bulls had at least as many fans as Apopka in their 2001 6A title game there.

Personally, I prefer South Florida as I can sleep at either my sister's or sister-in-law's pad if I attend for more than a day. It is what it is. Time for Tampa Bay to host IMO.

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Perspective College Starter

Perspective

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I agree that either Orlando or Tampa would be better than the top of the state or the bottom of the state. 

There was a time when the FHSAA would not allow the games to be played at a college stadium for fear that might give that particular school a recruiting advantage over other state schools.  Clearly, that's no longer a concern.  Raymond James stadium is too big, but Camping World Stadium or UCF's facilities in Orlando or USF's facilities (once the new stadium has been built) in Tampa would be ideal, in my opinion.  Plenty of hotel space and plenty of other things to do if families want to make a longer weekend out of their trip. 

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Dr. D Varsity Starter

Dr. D

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Daytona was tried a few years ago, and it was a total fiasco.  Most concede that Raymond James in Tampa is too large.  Tropicana in St. Pete would be interesting, but the configuration for football is awkward.  The best combination of stadium size and location is Exploria Stadium in Orlando.  But bear in mind that a stadium authority has to bid to host a state championship, so if a venue doesn't feel it's worth their time and effort, they can't be compelled.  FAMU and Tallahassee might be the best offer the FHSAA has on the table.

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Perspective College Starter

Perspective

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1 hour ago, Dr. D said:

Daytona was tried a few years ago, and it was a total fiasco.  Most concede that Raymond James in Tampa is too large.  Tropicana in St. Pete would be interesting, but the configuration for football is awkward.  The best combination of stadium size and location is Exploria Stadium in Orlando.  But bear in mind that a stadium authority has to bid to host a state championship, so if a venue doesn't feel it's worth their time and effort, they can't be compelled.  FAMU and Tallahassee might be the best offer the FHSAA has on the table.

Everything you said is true.   But, if FAMU/Tallahassee is the "best offer the FHSAA has on the table," then the FHSAA isn't doing a very good job.   It shouldn't all be about the Benjamins.  They need to balance out the financial side with the impact that their decisions have on the teams playing (including players, coaches, cheerleaders, bands, fans, etc.).  And they need to be reaching out to potential venues to figure out how to make it a win-win.   Now, to be fair, I don't know if they've been doing this or not.  But, if they've been trying, they've been failing. 

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gatorman-uf College Back Up

gatorman-uf

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Maybe 2026/2027, USF could host with their future 35K stadium.
Or FAU with its 30K stadium
Or FIU with its 20K stadium
Or Explorica Stadium (Orlando City Soccer) with its 25K stadium

 

Am I imagining that at some point within the last 20 years the NCAA forbade Colleges from being allowed to host such events on their home campuses?

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Nulli Secundus College Walk On

Nulli Secundus

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5 hours ago, Perspective said:

Everything you said is true.   But, if FAMU/Tallahassee is the "best offer the FHSAA has on the table," then the FHSAA isn't doing a very good job.   It shouldn't all be about the Benjamins.  They need to balance out the financial side with the impact that their decisions have on the teams playing (including players, coaches, cheerleaders, bands, fans, etc.).  And they need to be reaching out to potential venues to figure out how to make it a win-win.   Now, to be fair, I don't know if they've been doing this or not.  But, if they've been trying, they've been failing. 

No shade to my alma mater, but the FHSAA...:rolleyes:

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