College Football Playoff Semifinal
Delivers Record Results for Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Economic impact, attendance, viewership and charitable donations
highlight another successful season for Peach Bowl, Inc.
ATLANTA (Feb. 6, 2020) – The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl’s second College Football Playoff Semifinal highlighted another record-setting year for Peach Bowl, Inc., as the organization set a record for attendance and delivered significant results for economic impact, TV viewership and charitable donations.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate college football’s 150th anniversary season. This truly was a historic and record year for our organization, both on and off the field,” said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO & president. “None of the milestones we achieved would have been possible without our relationship with the College Football Playoff, the players, coaches and fans from Oklahoma and LSU, Chick-fil-A, our sponsors and partners, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and of course, our staff, board and volunteers.”
“It was incredible to witness a historic performance by LSU and Joe Burrow on the field, while also seeing the record number of fans at the game,” said Bob Somers, Peach Bowl, Inc. chairman. “Having the opportunity to host a Semifinal is an honor for us and the entire city of Atlanta. We should all take pride in that and in the memories we created for everyone involved. We look forward to hosting our next Semifinal in 2022.”
MORE THAN $90 MILLION IN COMBINED ECONOMIC IMPACT:
The 2019 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game and College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl combined to deliver $91.2 million in economic impact, and $6.78 million in direct state and local tax revenue within metro Atlanta according to a study by Dr. Bruce Seaman of the Georgia State University Department of Economics.
The 2019 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 LSU) provided $58.4 million in economic impact and $4.48 million in direct tax revenue, which represents the second-largest economic impact and tax revenue in the Bowl’s history, trailing only the 2016 College Football Playoff Semifinal. Last year’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game (Duke vs. No. 2 Alabama) drove an additional $32.8 million in economic impact and $2.3 million in direct tax revenue.
“We saw a significant year-over-year increase in both economic impact and tax revenue, thanks in large part to the fact this year’s contest was a Semifinal game,” said Dr. Seaman. “Two large, out-of-town fan bases descending upon Atlanta, along with a record attendance in the stadium, helped boost this year’s results.”
Since becoming a New Year’s Six bowl in 2014, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has now delivered a total of $286.1 million in economic impact and more than $22.54 million in direct state and local tax revenue, including $120.3 million in economic impact and $9.18 million in direct tax revenue during its two Semifinal games.
Since 2002, college football games hosted by Peach Bowl, Inc. have now delivered $1.22 billion in total economic impact, and $72.84 million in combined direct state and local tax revenue.