CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Sports Foundation says they are currently talking to other potential title sponsors for 2020 and the years to follow after Belk decided to conclude their sponsorship of the event.
The sponsorship also includes the season-opening College Kickoff game, which will feature Notre Dame and Wake Forest next season.
“Belk has been an exceptional partner for Charlotte’s holiday bowl game since signing on to sponsor the first Belk Bowl in 2011,” said Danny Morrison, executive director of the Charlotte Sports Foundation. “This bowl has become a great Charlotte sports tradition that has a significant economic impact on the Charlotte region, and we could not have achieved the success we have enjoyed without Belk’s commitment and the support of our other community partners.
Not only is the bowl game exciting for fans, but the teams enjoy the experience as well, according to the foundation. In the past, players were treated to holiday shopping sprees at Belk and fan experiences at Charlotte Motor Speedway, while they also volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and visited patients at Levine Children’s Hospital amid other community service events.
“We are extremely grateful for our partnership with the Charlotte Sports Foundation and the opportunity to be the title sponsor for the Belk Bowl over the past nine years,” said Lisa Harper, Chief Executive Officer of Belk. “They are a first-class organization and have made the Belk Bowl a staple event for Charlotte. Belk is proud to have been part of this tradition.”
The Belk Bowl has consistently been one of the most popular non-playoff bowl games and, over the next six years, Charlotte’s bowl game will host the ACC against a Big Ten opponent in 2020, 2022 and 2024, with an ACC team meeting an SEC team in the odd-numbered years of 2021, 2023 and 2025.
“With the expansion of our ties to the strongest conferences in college football, the future of our bowl has never looked brighter,” said Morrison. “Dating back to 2002, the Charlotte bowl game has historically been in the top tier of all bowls from an attendance and ratings standpoint, and we are excited about working with a new title sponsor as we continue to elevate the game on the field and the fan experience surrounding the event.”
The 2019 Belk Bowl matchup will be announced on December 8th and the game will be played on New Year’s Eve.
