Catlett promising "major" CFB game at Everbank in 2016, FSU game in 18/19

[spuwho]

Watch for a major shore leave scheduled by a Naval group at Mayport just prior to the game. As for the count of retired ND fans in south Florida, I would have to look at some previous bowls.

[Tacachale]

Yeah, this game will easily hit 60 or 70k in Jax. It's a great grab.

[copperfiend]

Calling it major or not is just semantics.

The truth is that this game is a big event in college football. Last year it was broadcast in prime time on CBS. It features one of the biggest brands in college football.

Uh, no.  It is not a "big event in college football". Aside from ND fans and Navy personnel, no one gives two dumps about this dumpster fire of a game.  It was broadcast in primetime because people will literally watch any football game over whatever crap episode of CSI Law Hospital is on.  And, frankly, I am discounting the opinion/analysis of anyone who writes " It features one of the biggest brands in college football,"-- no cares about a "brand"; that is the kind of trite, hollow thing Mitch Albom or Peter King writes. People care about seeing good football, and this game ain't that.  Aside from tripping over themselves into the nat'l championship a few years ago (specifically because of people who refer to ND as "one of the biggest brands in college football), where they got summarily destroyed and embarrassed, ND hasnt been relevant since 1993.  And, Navy, well...those are good men who serve our country.

This will (hopefully) have a decent economic impact on the city.  But, as with so many things in Jax, people are tripping over themselves to proclaim what a big deal this is, simply because its ours, not because this is actually a marquee event that mass amounts of college football fans care about.

Cool. It'll still draw 70k people and be nationally televised. And if people didn't care about the Notre Dame brand, they wouldn't be the only university with it's own television contract with a broadcast network.

[copperfiend]

This is technically a "rivalry" game, and a good draw for Jax, but certainly not great by any means.  The series trades off from playing in South Bend every other year, with a neutral site mixed in the other years.

The game was played at the Redskins stadium in MD last year and only drew a crowd of just under 37k.

The 2012 game was played in Ireland, so not really comparable to the game we will have in 2016.

The 2010 game was played at the Jets/Giants stadium and dew over 75k.

The 2008 game was played in the Ravens stadium in Baltimore and drew over 70k.

The quality of both teams this season and in 2016 will have a lot to do with how well this game draws in Jax.  I would estimate a crowd similar to what the game drew in DC last season (37k), but not close to a sell out.  I also do not see this drawing more than the average Jags game.

Last year was the first time they drew under 70k for a Notre Dame-Navy game.

[ProjectMaximus]

Calling it major or not is just semantics.

The truth is that this game is a big event in college football. Last year it was broadcast in prime time on CBS. It features one of the biggest brands in college football.

Uh, no.  It is not a "big event in college football". Aside from ND fans and Navy personnel, no one gives two dumps about this dumpster fire of a game.  It was broadcast in primetime because people will literally watch any football game over whatever crap episode of CSI Law Hospital is on.  And, frankly, I am discounting the opinion/analysis of anyone who writes " It features one of the biggest brands in college football,"-- no cares about a "brand"; that is the kind of trite, hollow thing Mitch Albom or Peter King writes. People care about seeing good football, and this game ain't that.  Aside from tripping over themselves into the nat'l championship a few years ago (specifically because of people who refer to ND as "one of the biggest brands in college football), where they got summarily destroyed and embarrassed, ND hasnt been relevant since 1993.  And, Navy, well...those are good men who serve our country.

This will (hopefully) have a decent economic impact on the city.  But, as with so many things in Jax, people are tripping over themselves to proclaim what a big deal this is, simply because its ours, not because this is actually a marquee event that mass amounts of college football fans care about.

Your last half sentence is spot on, but that doesn't preclude it from being a big event in college football. There are years when FL/GA has little or no significance on the national landscape but it's still a big event.

[WarDamJagFan]

^ I think the game will easily draw 60,000 fans....and yes, will outdraw most Jags games

Jags ave. attendance last year was 65K - 21st in the NFL.  Claiming the ND / Navy game will outdraw most Jags game is quite the bold statement.

[JBTripper]

Goodness gracious me, the negativity on this site is too much to bear sometimes...

No, Notre Dame-Navy is not a marquee game in the greater college football landscape and probably has not been since before WWII. No, Notre Dame football is not what it used to be. No, Navy is not a football power by any stretch of the imagination. But do you know what? None of that matters AT ALL.

Notre Dame still has roughly one gorillion fans who travel extraordinarily well (especially to Florida in November). All of their games are still on NBC. As an added bonus, the United States Navy actually as a fairly sizable presence right here in town. This game will draw very well from both in-town and out-of-town, and it'll be on national television. It cannot be construed as anything but a win for the City of Jacksonville, especially when the alternative is no game at all.

I saw one poster lamenting that this isn't Ohio State vs. Alabama! Well, for one thing that game isn't happening anywhere on the planet. If it was, it would be happening in Atlanta or Dallas, period. Maybe we need a reality check around here... Jacksonville can't compete with Atlanta or Dallas for college football games. We CAN compete with Orlando, Tampa, Charlotte and Nashville. We are getting this game, and those cities are not. This is a good thing!

In the coming years, we're only going to see more and more major college football teams playing these neutral-site games. There are only so many places to play them, and only so many Alabamas and Ohio States, so I think you will see Jacksonville land some second-tier Power Five matchups. There's no reason Jacksonville can't get some of the matchups Atlanta has gotten for the Chick-Fil-A Classic over the years... Tennessee-NC State, LSU-UNC, Ole Miss-Boise State. Notre Dame-Navy is probably better than any of those, so we could even see an LSU-Michigan or a Wisconsin-Clemson. I bet people around here would still complain.

[dp8541]

Looks like my early estimate was low and this could hit the 60k mark in attendance.  From the Daily Record:

"Catlett said most people think the game will hit 70,000-80,000 in tickets, but it's actually closer to 60,000-65,000.

Finding a way to offset that high guarantee to the school was key, he said.

Catlett said he couldn't reveal what the ticket guarantee or other financial aspects of the deal, citing privacy contract language."

It sounds like Navy will have a pretty large ticket guarantee, which should make for a pretty fun atmosphere at the game.

[ProjectMaximus]

Catlett spent "years" on this game. His proudest professional moment was Alabama-FSU...although "this ranks up there."
Also, Phoenix and San Diego were vying for this game too.

http://jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=545761

How Rick Catlett led lengthy effort to bring Notre Dame-Navy game to Jacksonville
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Slideshow
Mayor Lenny Curry and Jacksonville Sports Council Chairman Carl Cannon were on hand Wednesday for the official announcement that Notre Dame and Navy will play in Jacksonville next year. (Photo by Wes Lester/The City of Jacksonville)

Thursday, July 9, 10:25 AM EDT
By David Chapman, Staff Writer

Rick Catlett stood at the podium Wednesday, the EverBank Field scoreboards behind him displaying two teams that will make their way to town next November for a signature event.
Notre Dame and Navy, two of college football's iconic brands playing their annual tilt in a city steeped in naval tradition.

Catlett, CEO of the Jacksonville Sports Council, later called the game "the worst kept secret in Jacksonville."

It had been rumored for months and was made official Wednesday with a news conference attended by Mayor Lenny Curry, the Navy athletic director and other officials.

The work led by Catlett came well before that rain-stricken press event.

It's been in the making for a couple of years now, actually coming to fruition after rumors of another game sprung up several years back and a little misfortune elsewhere.

"We all worked very hard to make this happen," said Catlett, sitting in his office well after the TV cameras left.

Those efforts started with him.

Years in the making

Catlett said he's been working on the game for a couple of years now.

His right-hand man and friend, Alan Verlander, said Catlett has been thinking about it for maybe 20 years.

The game fans heard about Wednesday grew legs six to eight years ago, when rumors of another highly decorated game — Army-Navy — was rumored to come to Jacksonville.

"We investigated that back in the '80s," Catlett said. "It's financially not feasible."

The idea then turned to acquiring another Navy home game. Those have been played more frequently in other large cities, such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, East Rutherford, N.J., and even Dublin, Ireland.

Catlett had forged a relationship with Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk, who held the same position formerly with Boston College — a former member of the Big East conference that had signed a deal with the Gator Bowl.

Catlett said when the Army-Navy rumor re-emerged then died, he picked up the phone to call Gladchuk. The occasional discussion or email would follow, but there weren't substantial talks for several years. Major college football games generally are scheduled years in advance.

At one point, Gladchuk told Catlett he should visit to see an Army-Navy game for himself. Catlett's son was a naval aviator and knew of the pageantry and passion for the game, but Catlett said he was blown away by what he saw.

"It's truly the epitome of what college football is all about," he said.

An opportunity emerged thereafter.

Gladchuk was negotiating to play the game in 2016 in Phoenix, but that fell through when the leadership team at the Fiesta Bowl was wiped out by a scandal.

The 2016 and 2018 games were available, with San Diego as Jacksonville's competition.

Catlett said he wanted the 2016 game, not a later one.

"I've got a lot of gray hair," he said he told them, then laughed. "I don't know how much longer I'll be around."

From there, it was a matter of logistics and negotiating a deal that worked — not the easiest of tasks.

The deal itself

Catlett called on someone who had a little experience with a Navy game for some advice.

Mark Lamping, Jacksonville Jaguars president, had run an East Rutherford game between Army-Navy in his past professional role. Catlett said Lamping told him how the game worked and what to expect in terms of a deal.

Lamping said he recalls telling Catlett that, more than anything, to "understand how special this game is."

"It's more than just a football game," he said, noting Jacksonville's strong naval presence.

Catlett understood. But, there was a hurdle that had to be cleared — working with the city on a lease proved tough.

"It was difficult to negotiate," he said.

At the time, there was no one really leading the city's sports and entertainment office. Verlander, the former sports and entertainment officer, was back in the private sector with the sports council. He's the group's executive director and chief operating officer.

When Dave Herrell was named to the city role in July, negotiations became a little easier.

Herrell said Wednesday he understood the global picture from economic development and presentation perspectives.

And he had a little history with the game.

Before coming to Jacksonville, he was with the Arizona Sports Foundation — which also was vying for that 2016 Notre Dame-Navy game, before things went south.

"I understood the value in it," he said.

The lease deal for the game will be introduced to City Council in the coming weeks.

It's similar to the arrangement the city makes for the TaxSlayer Bowl, Catlett said. The TaxSlayer Bowl receives 35 percent of revenue from items like concessions and parking, money that will go to Navy.

And, to offset high ticket guarantees, Navy will receive the rights to the title sponsorship.

Catlett said most people think the game will hit 70,000-80,000 in tickets, but it's actually closer to 60,000-65,000.

Finding a way to offset that high guarantee to the school was key, he said.

Catlett said he couldn't reveal what the ticket guarantee or other financial aspects of the deal, citing privacy contract language.

The impact

The agreement with the city was reached May 14. The deal with Navy weeks later.

It's still too early for big-item numbers like economic impact or the "heads in beds" hotel room nights, officials said.

But, the impact should be great, Herrell said.

"This is celebrating Jacksonville on a big stage,' he said.

The game will be played Nov. 5, a time when the military is celebrated during the "Week of Valor."

Verlander called it a "case study" on how sports should work in Jacksonville, using relationships and local organizations for the cause. "We're all one team now," he said.

For Catlett, who is closing in on retirement in the next couple of years, the impact is also big.

One of his proudest moments, he said, was a neutral site game played in 2007 between Florida State University and the University of Alabama.

This ranks up there, too, he said, especially given the tradition and military significance Jacksonville has.

"It's one of the biggest traditions out there," he said.

dchapman@jaxdailyrecord.com

@writerchapman

(904) 356-2466

[mtraininjax]

In the coming years, we're only going to see more and more major college football teams playing these neutral-site games. There are only so many places to play them, and only so many Alabamas and Ohio States, so I think you will see Jacksonville land some second-tier Power Five matchups.

Again, the ND/Navy matchup is a nice game, its by no means Major. As you have alluded to in your post, TWICE, the Alabama/OSU matchup, being played at Texas Stadium, would be a MAJOR cfb game. When Jax lands that game, its quite an accomplishment.

Landing a Super Bowl was a MAJOR accomplishment, but that was 12 years ago.....

I think the game will easily draw 60,000 fans....and yes, will outdraw most Jags games

All the Jags games in Jax last year were sellouts, above 60,000 fans...........

[fsquid]

65k was the Jags average last year.  Unsure if that includes London.

[tufsu1]

All the Jags games in Jax last year were sellouts, above 60,000 fans...........

yes...a "sellout" of the non-premium seats, with the tarps.  Fact is the Jaguars haven't truly drawn 65,000 fans for a home game in years.  I'm sure the hope here is that Navy-ND will fill up the stadium to capacity (75,000+).

As to this not being a major game....kind of hard to say that right now....but it will most likely be in primetime and will be viewed by folks all over the country...seems pretty decent to me.

[mtraininjax]

http://www.chick-fil-akickoffgame.com/georgia-tech-and-tennessee-set-for-2017/

Teams are so-so this year and maybe next, but this is a major game. Hard to schedule something like this when the feel-like temps are still near 100. Would be nice to get an SEC / ACC team game in Jax for November, with serious guaranteed money.

[fsquid]

Georgia Tech and Tennessee is a major game?

[jaxjaguar]

Major schools, yes. Big draw? Eh, we'll see. I'd guess about 40k-50k would show up. Less if they are still ranked like they have been the last few years. Better than nothing, but not amazing.