Should Title Games Be Hosted at Teams’ Home Stadiums or a Neutral Site?
When the first GHSA football state championships were held in 1947, the host venues were one of the home stadiums from each pair of opponents. Except for the occasional complaints about teams receiving favorable calls, i.e., “home cooking” from the officiating crew, the games were typically entertaining and fans seemingly were satisfied.
That all changed in 1996. That was the season that the GHSA voted to begin playing the semifinals in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. (At the time, the association consisted of just five classifications.) The state championships, however, would still be played at one of the two participating teams’ home stadium. The move was met mostly with an enthusiastic “thumbs up” from the teams, fans, coaches, and administration, as well as GHSA officials.
High school football, after all, had been a major part of the Dome’s identity since it opened its doors in 1992. The Corky Kell Classic that year between Brookwood and McEachern was the first football game held at the new facility. That’s right. The two teams played before the Atlanta Falcons even played there. (The NFL team would play its first game there the very next day).
Dave Hunter, who was then the head coach of Brookwood and the co-founder of the Corky Kell Classic, said, “The Georgia Dome has elevated the status of high school football in Georgia.”
Home Sweet Dome
After 12 seasons of playing the semifinals at the Dome, the GHSA made the decision to move those games back to the teams’ stadiums and move the state championships to the Georgia Dome. The association cited as the main reason for the move was to increase attendance at the home stadiums.
Schools that had hosted the state title games in recent seasons were reporting overflow crowds at their stadiums. This would not be an issue at the Dome, with a 70,000 seat capacity more than able to handle the large crowds.
Also, fans could now watch multiple state title games in one day if they wanted. The other problem was that with the GHSA’s requirements that stadiums meet minimum seating capacity, some of the schools were not able to do so unless they moved in temporary additional seating.
So, after a 50-0 vote, it was a done deal. Beginning with the 2008 season, the semifinals would return to one of the two teams’ home stadium, while each classification’s title game would be played at the Georgia Dome. The games would remain at that venue until 2017, when they were moved to the new Mercedez-Benz Stadium next door.
All seemed to be going well until 2018, when the owners of MBS, headed up by Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, announced that the rental fee for GHSA to host the three-day event would increase substantially. Some reports put the fee at around $600,000.
Not willing to accept that enormous price tag, the GHSA began reaching out to potential new partners that perhaps could fit the criteria for hosting its state championships. The search would find a willing partner in Georgia State University and Parc Stadium, formerly Turner Field.
This would still satisfy the need for additional seating and provide a neutral site. One drawback would be the fact that it was outside. But, the GHSA really was out of options – for the time being, at least.
A Range of Opinions
I wanted to get an opinion from those involved in the game. Do they think the GHSA state championships should be played at a neutral site, or would they like to see the games back at one of the teams’ stadiums?
Two coaches I especially wanted to hear from were Lee County’s Dean Fabrizio and Robbie Pruitt, who was coach of the Coffee High Trojans back in 2017. That season was when Lee and Coffee played for the state title, but due to inclement weather, the game was held at Lee County. An overflow crowd was on hand to see Lee County win an exciting overtime affair.
Did Pruitt feel like his chances would have been greater at a neutral site? Not necessarily, he said.
“I would much rather play the championship at a high school stadium,” Pruitt said. “I [coached] in Florida in what was the last state title game on a neutral field before FHSSA moved it to a neutral site, then played the next year at Daytona Beach Stadium.”
Fabrizio weighed in on the pros and cons of playing state title games at a neutral site.
“The home stadium is an incredible atmosphere, but the problem is all of the games are at different sites,” he said. “Georgia State does a great job hosting the event, but it’s outdoors and it isn’t a huge deal like playing in [a domed stadium]. I can tell you that is a huge deal to these kids to play in the dome; it’s just a tremendous venue.”
Another coach who has played in his share of championship games is Camden County’s Jeff Herron. What does he think of playing the title games at a neutral site versus teams’ home stadiums?
“I have always felt that it was a much better environment to play at someone’s stadium as opposed to a dome or another neutral place,” Herron said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play one at home, one away, and then one in the Dome. The home and away games were a much better atmosphere.”
Herron added that from a financial standpoint, “We made double playing at Oconee and Valdosta than we ever did in the Dome.”
Benedictine head football coach Danny Britt, whose Cadets won the GHSA Class 5A state championship game last year, said he believes players should be on the big stage in the biggest games.
“I believe the game should be played at the apex of the state, and for Georgia, that would be Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” Britt said.
Britt then added an interesting point: “We have 14 other games to play in the home stadiums. The top of the mountain should be in the biggest and best venue.”
Finally, GHSA Executive Director Dr. Robin Hines offered us his thoughts on where the state championship game should be played.
“My personal opinion is that typically the games are too big at the home stadiums and all who want to attend cannot do so in most cases,” Hines said. “It’s also a huge game for the participants, and a neutral field eliminates the home field advantage. To play in a D-1 stadium or the MBS is a big deal for the players and a very special opportunity.”
For what it’s worth, that’s exactly how this sports guy feels.
