Local college football fans can relax — the Florida-Georgia game isn’t leaving Jacksonville anytime soon.
Mayor Lenny Curry and city officials announced Wednesday an agreement with both schools that will keep the annual game at EverBank Field through 2021.
“This is a big deal for Jacksonville, it’s a big deal for our city and it’s a big deal for both schools,” said Curry.
For Jacksonville, it’s the continuance of a game Curry said brought a $35 million in economic impact this year, a $2 million increase from the prior year. For the schools, it will mean extra money, too.
The newly negotiated deal will pay both the University of Florida and University of Georgia a $125,000 “signing bonus” this year, the last of the current deal in place.
Beginning with the 2017 game, each school will annually receive $250,000, which will come from the city’s general fund.
That’s in addition to 100 percent of the ticket revenue and EverBank Field being provided at no cost, both of which continue in the extension.
Given the economic impact the game, Curry said the payouts made sense to keep the game.
Additionally, the schools receive bumps in other areas. Each will receive $60,000 for travel stipends starting in 2017, up from the current $50,000.
The University of Georgia will be provided air travel cost not to exceed $350,000. The school received $300,000 in 2010, which increased 3 percent each year.
And each school receives the rights to a luxury suite at Veterans Memorial Arena four times a year, secured on a first-come, first-served basis.
The city receives a little more certainty with a wrinkle in the deal.
The new contract calls for the city and schools to have the ability to renegotiate deal terms after the 2018 game, two years into the five-year deal. It’s seen as a trade-off for the extension not being longer.
“Five years is a huge win for us,” said Curry. To be able to talk again after two years also was a win and eliminated uncertainty about the game moving forward.
He said uncertainty existed when he took office. Negotiations to extend the game “didn’t exist” and reaching out to athletic directors at both schools was one of his initial priorities after taking office.
The schools also wanted to see what the EverBank Field improvements entailed, which Curry said made a difference. Part of the $90 million improvements underway includes replacing 11,000 club seats and reducing them to 8,000.
The city and the Jacksonville Jaguars will split the costs of temporary seating to ensure capacity for the college game remains at almost 83,000, which is part of the deal approved by City Council in December.
The extension secures the large local economic boost continues, said council President Greg Anderson.
“The tradition continues,” he said, listing off statistics that included the game bringing in 127,000 visitors, 35,000 hotel room nights and 5 million TV viewers.
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Some of the figures that are part of the latest Florida-Georgia five-year extension.
• $35 million: The local economic impact of the game, which increased $2 million from the previous year.
• $350,000: The amount the University of Georgia will receive from the city for air travel in the new deal. That’s up from a $300,000 base that increased 3 percent each year starting in 2010.
• $250,000: The amount each school will receive from the city annually beginning in 2017. That’s in addition to all ticket revenue.
• $125,000: The “signing bonus” each school will receive for the final year of the current deal.
• $60,000: The travel stipend each school will receive, up from $50,000 in the current deal.
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