by Kent Jennings Brockwell
Staff Writer
In about eight weeks, The NFL Experience will be in Jacksonville.
For the past 14 years, an interactive professional football theme park called The NFL Experience has been erected in the Super Bowl host city preceding the big game.
On Tuesday, at a very interactive press conference at Alltel Stadium, students from Oak Hill, Hyde Grove and North Shore elementary schools got a chance to try out four different games that will be featured during The NFL Experience when it comes to town Jan. 29. The games included a quarterback accuracy test, a lineman’s challenge and a receiver challenge.
Also at the press conference, representatives from the NFL and America Online, the event’s main sponsor, described the intricacies of the event and showed a short video presentation highlighting events from past years. Jaguars Byron Leftwich and Jimmy Smith were also at the event and spent some time trying out the games with the youngsters.
NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said while Jacksonville’s NFL Experience will be comparable to past events, this year’s Experience will be outdoors. The event has been indoors for the past two years in Houston and New Orleans.
“We will be able to play into the backdrop of Jacksonville,” said McCarthy. “Being able to have football outdoors makes a huge difference.”
This year’s NFL Experience will be located at JEA Park on the Southbank, near the Radisson, and will take place Jan. 29-30 and Feb. 3-6. The 850,000 square-foot venue will feature multiple games, displays, football skill tests and entertainment attractions.
The event will also feature a trading card and sports collectibles show, which will encompass 35,000 square feet of the NFL Experience. McCarthy said at least 60 professional athletes will be available for autographs. More than 10,000 free autographs are expected to be given out at throughout the event.
A large sports store sponsored by Foot Locker and Champs Sports will also be setup as part of the NFL Experience. The 35,000 square foot Foot Locker/Champs Sports NFL Team Shop will feature merchandise from all 32 NFL teams.
Tickets to the NFL Experience go on sale today and can be purchased by calling 1-866-TIX-4NFL (849-4635) or online at www.superbowl.com, or can be purchased at local Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under.
Information about tickets, schedules and player appearances at the trading card show can be obtained after Jan. 1 by calling 1-888-635-2273.