Sports Council CEO Weighs in on New Stadium Plan

Scott Ramsey said that once construction of a domed venue to replace Nissan Stadium is complete, his organization will bid on higher profile events.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans are not the only ones who expect to benefit from a replacement for Nissan Stadium.

The Nashville Sports Council, which runs the TransPerfect Music City Bowl – among other events – plans to take full advantage of the new, domed venue once it is built.

“A new enclosed stadium will only help expand our mission and allow us to pursue sporting events like a Super Bowl, a CFP National Championship, a men’s Final Four and other events that meet venue requirements we are unable to currently fulfill,” Scott Ramsey, CEO of the Sports Council said in a statement released to Twitter on Friday. “The new stadium could also help the TransPefect Music City Bowl position itself within the future structure of postseason college football.”

The Music City Bowl debuted in 1998 at Vanderbilt Stadium and moved to Nissan Stadium in 1999, the first year that building opened. It currently pits a team from the Southeastern Conference against an opponent from either the Big Ten or the Atlantic Coast Conference. Last year’s game between Purdue and Tennessee drew a record crowd of 69,489.

The Sports Council passed on an opportunity to bid to make the Music City Bowl part of the College Football Playoff rotation when the Bowl Championship Series was dissolved. Instead, the game has been played annually late in December, typically on the 30th or 31st.

This year’s game is set for 11 a.m. (CST) on Dec. 31.

The new stadium still needs approval of the Metro Nashville Council and the Nashville Sports Authority before final plans can be made and construction can start. The best-case scenario is for groundbreaking to take place late in 2023 and for the stadium to be open in time for the 2026 NFL season.

Initial renderings were released this week.

With an expected capacity of 55,000-60,000, it will be large enough to host a Super Bowl and other comparable events. NFL officials typically want a stadium to be open for two years before it hosts a Super Bowl, which would make the 2028 season the earliest possible that event could come to town.

It is clear now that Ramsey has his eye on other events as well.

“We encourage our Sports Council members and the Nashville community at large to join us in supporting this project by working with their local representatives,” Ramsey said in the second half of his statement. “The Sports Council looks forward to working with the Titans organization, Gov. Bill Lee’s office, Mayor John Cooper’s office, the Nashville Metro Sports Authority and all local and state entities as we look forward to the opportunities to host additional major sports events in Nashville.”