Could the AHSAA Super 7 be moved to Birmingham for good?

VaselineJune 3, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Could the AHSAA Super 7 be moved to Birmingham for good?

BIRMINGHAM – Since 2009, Alabama’s two largest and most important football stadiums have helped host the Alabama High School Athletic Association state championships, but that could be about to change.

A new deal signed in 2021 began a rotation between Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn. With Alabama and Auburn potentially hosting College Football Playoff games in December, there have been discussions about moving the AHSAA Super 7 to Birmingham or including other stadiums.

FINANCE BEHIND SUPER 7: AHSAA football: What Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Auburn are paying to host Super 7 state championships

On Monday, during the Associated Press Sports Editors regional meeting on the campus of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne mentioned that the AHSAA Super 7 could move to Birmingham full-time, in part because of the new model CFB that could bring playoff games to Bryant Denny and Jordan Hare Stadiums. Byrne discussed some of the effects already seen from the expansion to a 12-team playoff starting this season.

“You’re already seeing some impact with the Alabama high school state championship games moving here to Birmingham because we have to keep our schedule open for when it normally is,” Byrne said.

The dates for the first round of on-campus games are Dec. 20-21 in 2024 and Dec. 19-20 in 2025. After 2026, the calendar for the college football season is unclear. The first Super 7 in Birmingham set a record for the biggest attendance with 62,544 people attending games over the three days. The 2024 Super 7 dates are December 4-6 at Protective Stadium.

The Alabama High School Athletic Association would only confirm that the Super 7 games will be held in Birmingham for the 2024 edition and that as of now, the three-stadium rotation is still in effect.

Under the agreement that began in 2021, Birmingham hosted in 2021 and will host again in 2024, 2027 and 2030. After the 2023 Super 7 Championships, Tuscaloosa was scheduled to host again in 2025, 2029 and 2031. Auburn, which hosted the 2022 Super 7 Championships, was slated to host in 2026, 2028 and 2032.

Auburn-Opelika, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa each pay $200,000 to the AHSAA for the right to host the Super 7 in the years they host the event. The money comes from different groups for each. In Birmingham, the city pays $125,000, while the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau pays the remaining $75,000.

Under the 2021 agreement, Birmingham would be the first to re-evaluate the deal in 2024, with Tuscaloosa and Auburn following in turn hosting in 2025 and 2026, respectively. Under the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham deal, either side can terminate the contract during the re-evaluation period with a 30 days written notice.

VaselineJune 3, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Vaseline

Related Articles

China’s finance minister plans a briefing as investors look for stimulus

Saudi Arabia is ready to abandon the $100 gross target to regain market share

Where the market is going now

Shoppers of £38 ‘magic in a bottle’ cream swear it delivers ‘younger skin in weeks’