Bowl sees increases in attendance, TV viewership and charitable giving as it begins the run up to its first College Football Playoff Semifinal and Atlanta’s first National Championship.
ATLANTA (Jan. 8, 2016) – In its second year as a part of the New Year’s Six group of bowls, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl saw significant increases in attendance, TV viewership and charitable giving.
The New Year’s Eve day matchup of No. 18 Houston and No. 9 Florida State drew a near capacity crowd of 71,007 fans inside the Georgia Dome – an 8% increase in attendance over last year’s top-10 matchup of TCU and Ole Miss.
On average, 4.3 million households watched the game on ESPN, with a peak household viewership of 6.3 million coming in the fourth quarter. This represents a 9.5% increase over viewership numbers from 2014 when the Bowl was played in the same time slot.
“We are encouraged by these numbers and they are certainly trending in the right direction,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl president and CEO. “We are optimistic and fully expect to see dramatic increases next year when we host our first College Football Playoff Semifinal on Saturday, Dec. 31 at either 4 or 8 p.m.”
Continuing in its tradition as college football’s most charitable bowl organization, Peach Bowl, Inc. increased its charitable and scholarship contributions by 12% – by giving a total of $1.28 million to those in need in 2015. The Bowl has now given a total of $19.2 million in charity and scholarship since 2002.
Peach Bowl Cares, the charitable giving initiative of Peach Bowl, Inc., generated donations through the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament and its partnership with the College Football Playoff Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers program.
2015 Charitable Donations:
Scholarship Contributions & University/Head Coach Foundations
$563,000
Academic Mentoring Program in Atlanta Public Schools
$150,000
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
$128,350
Endowed Scholarship at University of Houston
$100,000
Endowed Scholarship at Florida State University
$100,000
Extra Yard for Teachers program donation to Atlanta Public Schools
$100,000
Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation
$50,000
WinShape Homes long-term foster care program
$50,000
American Diabetes Association
40,000
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS
$1,281,350
“Giving back to those who have supported us – both in Atlanta and with our partner schools and conferences – is a huge part of our mission and who we are,” said Percy Vaughn, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl chairman. “We are passionate about our charitable giving platforms and are proud that this is a significant and meaningful part of our role in our community.”
ON THE CLOCK
With 2015 in the books, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is now on the clock as it prepares to host its first College Football Playoff Semifinal. In 2016, the Bowl will host either the #1 vs. #4 game or the #2 vs. #3 game as assigned by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
The Semifinal will be played Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016 at either 4 or 8 p.m.
Now begins a two-year run up to Atlanta’s hosting of the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship that should leave no doubt as to Atlanta’s distinction as the Capital of College Football given the unique combination of major events, best-in-class facilities and infrastructure and fan and corporate support.
“The next two years will really show off what Atlanta can do as we step onto the biggest stage of all,” Stokan said. “It will validate our position within the sport, proving both what Atlanta means to college football and what college football means to Atlanta. It’s going to be an incredibly exciting journey.”
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About Peach Bowl, Inc.:
Peach Bowl, Inc. operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and one of New Year’s Six Bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff. In 2015, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl hosted top nationally ranked teams as assigned by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. In 2016, the Bowl will host its first College Football Playoff Semifinal (#1 vs. #4 or #2 vs. #3). The Bowl has sold out 17 of the last 19 years and has earned a reputation as one of the most competitive bowls in the country, with 54% (26 of 48) of its games being decided by a touchdown or less. The Peach Bowl, Inc. has disbursed $150 million in team payouts over its 48-year history and has increased team payout every year since 1996. The Bowl also leads all other bowl game organizations in charitable and scholarship contributions, giving more than $19.2 million to organizations in need since 2002. Peach Bowl, Inc. also owns and manages the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament and is the presenting sponsor and manager of The Dodd Trophy national coach of the year award. For more information, visit Chick-fil-APeachBowl.com or follow us on Twitter at @CFAPeachBowl and find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/ChickfilAPeachBowl.