Charlotte Bowl Game Will Continue Beyond End of Sponsorship

Charlotte Collegiate Football, operator of the Meineke Car Care Bowl and Charlotte ACC Football Championship games, recently clarified that the bowl game will continue in Charlotte beyond the end of Meineke Car Care Centers’ title sponsorship of the 2010 game.

Earlier this year, ownership of the Meineke Car Care Bowl was transferred from Raycom Sports to Charlotte Collegiate Football, a nonprofit organization established to operate the bowl game and the 2010 and 2011 ACC Football Championship in Charlotte. Charlotte Collegiate Football and Meineke Car Care Centers had a two-year title sponsorship agreement for the 2010 and 2011 bowl games in Charlotte. Both parties held the option to terminate the final year of the contract with notice being given by March 31, 2010. CCF exercised that option.

“After careful consideration, Charlotte Collegiate Football attempted to renegotiate the title sponsorship agreement with Meineke Car Care Centers,” said Will Webb, executive director of Charlotte Collegiate Football. “Meineke did not feel it was in its best interest to renegotiate and CCF exercised its right to terminate the last year of the sponsorship, covering the 2011 bowl game.”

“Given the immense scale of operating a major college bowl game, the local organizing committee needed to develop a different economic model. We had hoped to negotiate with Meineke Car Care Centers on a new contract with mutually beneficial terms. Unfortunately, we were not able to do that. Meineke Car Care Centers has been a wonderful, supportive partner for the bowl game and we thank them for all that they have done over the past five years.”

“The bowl game has far exceeded expectations on all levels,” added Webb. “The bowl has moved up in the selection order in the Atlantic Coast Conference to number 4 and will continue as the number 2 selection in the Big East Conference, both after the BCS. We are excited about a new title sponsor and look forward to continuing the major college football bowl in Charlotte.”

The bowl game, known as the Continental Tire Bowl (2002-2004) and Meineke Car Care Bowl (2005-present) has averaged more 60,000 fans during its first eight years, with three sellouts. It has reached more than 22 million television households. In 2003, it was named one of the five best start-ups in sports over the past five years by the Sports Business Journal, behind only the NFL Houston Texans and ESPN the Magazine.