Creation of Frisco Bowl added to ESPN Events Lineup

FRISCO, TX JANUARY 4: North Dakota University State Bison and the Towson University Tigers compete in the Division 1 Football Championship at Toyota Stadium in Frisco on January 4, 2014 in Frisco, TX. NDSU won 35-7. Photo: Rick Yeatts Photography / Matt Garnett

Formerly Miami Beach Bowl, game moves to Frisco, Texas
One of 14 owned and operated ESPN Event Bowl games

The newly created Frisco Bowl will be played from its new Frisco, Texas, home beginning in December 2017. The bowl game, formerly the Miami Beach Bowl, is now owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, and is affiliated with the American Athletic Conference.

The bowl game will air on ESPN on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT at Toyota Stadium in Frisco

Toyota Stadium is the home of FC Dallas of Major League Soccer and host to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Championship Game since 2010. It has a football capacity of 20,500.

“We are pleased to be able to host this game in one of the most vibrant football markets in the country,” said Clint Overby, ESPN vice president of events. “The infrastructure and facilities that exist in Frisco are outstanding and will be an excellent venue for the teams, players, administrators and fans traveling into the marketplace. We look forward to working with civic organizations and businesses in the area to create an annual event that embraces the spirit of the community.”

“We are thrilled to host the Frisco Bowl,” said Dan Hunt, FC Dallas president. “Toyota Stadium provides a premier football experience and we’re looking forward to hosting this marquee matchup for years to come.”

“We are extremely excited to be a part of creating this bowl game,” said Josh Dill, director of sports and events, Visit Frisco. “The Frisco Bowl is a great fit for our city because sports truly is a pillar of our community. Hosting this event is a perfect way to showcase our city’s sports and tourism offerings, while providing entertainment and economic benefits for our residents.”

The Miami Beach bowl was held at Marlins Park in Miami from 2014-16, with an American Athletic Conference team facing an opponent from Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference or the Sun Belt Conference. Memphis won the inaugural event in 2014, followed by Western Kentucky in 2015 and Tulsa in 2016.

“We are excited to be a part of the Frisco Bowl and enhance our relationship with ESPN Events,” said Mike Aresco, commissioner of the American Athletic Conference. “I want to thank Pete Derzis and Clint Overby for their vision and hard work in creating this bowl game. The Frisco Bowl will join ESPN’s outstanding lineup and will permit us to send a deserving team to a first-class facility in a region within our conference footprint that has been tremendously supportive of postseason college football.”

Ticket information for the Frisco Bowl will be announced this summer. For further details, visit thefriscobowl.com, or follow on twitter.com/FriscoBowlESPN and facebook.com/friscobowlgame.