Report: Extension looming to keep the cocktail party in Jacksonville
By Nick Cole
Published:
One of college football’s few remaining neutral-site rivalry games is likely to remain that way.
OnlineAthens.com’s Gene Frenette reports that a contract extension with EverBank Field is just around the corner for Florida and Georgia, ensuring that the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will remain in Jacksonville.
According to the report, the current agreement with the stadium was down to its final season, but the athletics directors from both schools remain confident that a new deal will soon be in place.
Frenette cites a report by the Times Union that quotes Gators athletics director Jeremy Foley as saying:
“We haven’t verbally agreed yet, but it’s gonna happen.”
Likewise, Georgia AD Greg McGarity indicated that there were simply details to be ironed out when questioned during the Bulldogs’ win at the TaxSlayer bowl at the venue earlier this month.
According to the report, the last two extensions that the schools signed with the Jacksonville venue were completed at least a year in advance, while this agreement is set to expire in October.
With the exception of 1994 and 1995 games that were alternated between Athens and Gainesville, the game has been played in Jacksonville since 1933.
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
