National Championship Success Proves Atlanta and GWCCA Campus is Epicenter of College Football

ATLANTA – (January 30, 2018) – On Monday, Jan. 8, thousands of University of Georgia and University of Alabama fans swarmed to Atlanta to attend the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was an event of firsts and breaking records, and while the Crimson Tide prevailed as champions, the Atlanta community proved why the city is recognized as the epicenter of college football.

And a majority of the championship events and activity took place on the Georgia World Congress Center Authority’s (GWCCA) downtown campus, the No. 1 convention, sports and entertainment destination in the world.

“Atlanta was a truly first-class setting for the national championship game,” said Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff. “We appreciate the hard work of the Atlanta Football Host Committee members, and all their efforts that led to a wonderful experience for thousands of college football fans.”

“That game was something the Atlanta community and college football fans will cherish for years to come,” said Carl Adkins, executive director of the Atlanta Football Host Committee. “We hope that everyone in Atlanta experienced a one-of-a-kind Championship Weekend.  I speak for the entire Atlanta Football Host Committee in saying that it was a tremendous honor to host the College Football Playoff National Championship and we look forward to what the future brings for Atlanta as a destination for major sporting events.”

Some highlights from the game and the surrounding events include:

·         First presidential visit to a college football championship since 1980.

·         First-ever College Football Playoff National Championship overtime.

·         First College Football Playoff National Championship to be played in Atlanta and at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

·         First-ever ESPN Watch Party and Halftime Show (hosted at Centennial Olympic Park).

·         First-ever All-SEC College Football Playoff National Championship.

·         According to ESPN, the telecast was the network’s second highest-rated event, scoring a 16.7 overnight Nielsen rating. This is a nine percent increase from last season.

·         With a 47.8 rating, Atlanta earned its highest rating ever for a college football game on ESPN.

·         First-ever national championship game held in a LEED platinum certified stadium.

·         First walkable urban footprint to host the national championship  game and all fan events.

·         Highest-attended college football game in Atlanta with 77,430 people.

·         Over 125,000 guests attended Championship Campus events in downtown Atlanta in conjunction with the College Football Playoff National Championship.

·         Previous attendance records were broken for Playoff Fan Central (Georgia World Congress Center), Media Day and the Extra Yard 5K (GWCCA’s International Plaza).

Media contact: Traci Messier, Jackson Spalding, 404-214-3596.

About the Atlanta Football Host Committee

Formed in 2016 under the Championship Hosting Division of the Atlanta Sports Council, the Atlanta Football Host Committee (AFHC) serves as an extension of the College Football Playoff Group in the local community. The organization is responsible for assisting with the planning and production of the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship and accompanying fan events. The AFHC is comprised of local leaders in business, sports and tourism and its mission is to host a one-of-a-kind championship experience for student-athletes, university representatives, media and college football fans. For more information visit: www.ATLChampGame.com.

About the GWCCA

Located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority campus, which includes the Georgia World Congress Center, Centennial Olympic Park, the College Football Hall of Fame, the Junior Achievement Discovery Center and state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium, is the No. 1 convention, sports and entertainment destination in the world.

About the College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 seed vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual. This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Saturday, December 29, 2018, at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and Capital One Orange Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 7, 2019, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.