The Sugar Bowl Committee has announced that it will stage the 72nd Nokia Sugar Bowl Football Classic on January 2, 2006, in Atlanta's Georgia Dome and will use proceeds generated by that Bowl Championship Series (BCS) game to support hurricane relief efforts in its native New Orleans.

"These are extraordinary times for all of us and the decision by the Committee was very emotional," said Mark C. Romig, president. "However, we are most grateful to the officials and citizens of Georgia and Atlanta for agreeing to temporarily host the historic Sugar Bowl and are heartened by the enormous show of support we are receiving. While at our temporary location, we will be passionately focused on bringing the message of the recovery and rebirth of our home to our national audience and develop programs around the game to benefit the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation, and the Bring New Orleans Back Fund."

The Committee's initial priority after Hurricane Katrina was to play its January 2, 2006, game in Baton Rouge on the campus of LSU, using hotel accommodations in that city as well as those that might become available in the New Orleans area to house teams and fans from its participating institutions. After several weeks of research, however, it became apparent that hotel availability was severely limited due to a number of factors including the demand for rooms by the ongoing recovery efforts. It was also important for the Committee to be able to maintain the standard of hospitality for which the state, New Orleans and the Sugar Bowl Committee have earned a national reputation.

Parallel to its exploratory efforts at home, the Sugar Bowl Committee also worked with a BCS sub-committee to look at alternative venues within the geographic footprint of its annual host team, the Southeastern Conference champion. During the course of that research, Atlanta surfaced as the logical choice given that it already played host to the SEC Championship Game and had hosted the Olympic Games, the Super Bowl and a number of other major sporting events.

"We were hyper diligent in our efforts to stage the game in Louisiana this year," said Sugar Bowl executive director Paul Hoolahan, "but in the end, the information we were receiving from leaders in the hotel and hospitality industry didn't bode well for our ability to do so at a high standard.

Hoolahan continued, "We're fortunate and appreciative of the fact that leaders in Atlanta have communicated a willingness to assist the Sugar Bowl in a time of need. Even more so, they have done so with sensitivity to the fact that we're stinging about having to leave Louisiana even if it is for just one year."

Groups pledging support and resources in concert with the Sugar Bowl's decision to move to Atlanta included the Southeastern Conference, the Georgia World Congress Center, the Georgia Dome, the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Atlanta Sports Council/Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

"So many people have stepped forward ready to help our initiative in Atlanta," said Hoolahan. "We're extremely grateful and have a strong degree of confidence that we're going to be able to tackle the tremendous task at hand with a great degree of cooperation and unity from all involved."

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority is pleased to be able to provide a location for the Nokia Sugar Bowl. From planning to execution, the staff looks forward to helping with this great event. Though the decision to leave Louisiana for this year was a necessary one, we hope that the Sugar Bowl will enjoy Atlanta as their home away from home. During a press conference at the Georgia Dome on October 7, officials from the Sugar Bowl were welcomed to the Georgia Dome by Khalil Johnson, chief operating officer of the GWCCA, Governor Sonny Perdue, Lisa Borders, president of the Atlanta City Council and many members of the Atlanta Hospitality Community.

The Sugar Bowl has been played in New Orleans annually since 1935. Over the past decade it has produced an average annual economic impact of nearly $175 million for the city and state.



For more information please visit www.nokiasugarbowl.org.