Bob Self - Florida Times-Union
Florida vs. Georgia Extends Contract With City of Jacksonville
After some speculation that a new deal was on it's way, the City of Jacksonville has agreed to keep the Florida/Georgia rivalry at the neutral site over the course of the next few years.
The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will continue in Jacksonville until 2023, Mayor Lenny Curry announced in a tweet. The new contract provides an option to keep the game in Duval County until the year 2025, should both schools and the city agree to pick it up.
"As Mayor, and a football fan, I'm excited about what this agreement means for our city," Curry stated in the video. "This is more than a game, it's a tradition. TIAA Bank Field has sold out every year, with 83000 fans in attendance on game day."
Curry stated that the economic impact of the game being held in Jacksonville topped $30 million.
"We are excited to continue one of the great traditions in all of college football in having the Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville,” said Florida Athletics Director Scott Stricklin. “The Florida-Georgia game is more than a football game, it is a week-long celebration of two storied programs meeting on a neutral field that has created generational memories for both fan bases. We are appreciative of the partnership we have with the City of Jacksonville and Mayor Lenny Curry to extend our agreement.”
Recently, there have been arguments as to whether the location of the game should continue to be in Jacksonville, or if it should move between each university's respective stadium to enrich the rivalry that has been ongoing since 1915. Moving the game would provide more financial opportunities for each school, as well as affect team recruiting and present a home-field advantage that neither team has while playing in Jacksonville, a neutral site.
However, both schools appear in favor of continuing the rivalry in Jacksonville, at least until this contract runs up.
