Stadium Series: New Venue Means New Home for Fiesta Bowl

Since it's inception in 1971, the Fiesta Bowl has been played at Arizona State University's Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. That will change with the upcoming college football season, when the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl relocates to the new stadium in Glendale.

Junker, Fiesta Bowl President, believes that playing in the new stadium will only improve the product. "All the amenities of the new stadium will be delivered to our fans that visit Arizona from schools all over the country and that's a great thing."

In all, three bowl games are headed to the Valley for the upcoming college football season- the new BCS Championship Game is on Jan. 8, 2007; the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2007, both at the new stadium. And the Insight Bowl leaves Phoenix's Chase Field for a new home at Arizona State University's Sun Devil Stadium on Dec. 29, 2006. The BCS title game will come back to the Valley every four years, as it rotates among the other BSC bowl games, the Sugar, Rose and Orange.

The Fiesta Bowl, Insight Bowl and related events carry a local $250 million economic impact, a number sure to rise when new figures are released later this summer to include the new BCS title game.

"We're talking about well in excess of 70,000 fans coming to Arizona just for those three bowl games, so there's no doubt the economic impact will be quite large," said Junker.

And bowl payouts to the teams are likely to increase as well, leaving more money for scholarships at schools across the country.

Junker made clear that the Fiesta Bowl has always been a statewide organization and that won't change because of the new stadium. The invited teams will stay in Scottsdale hotels, the New Year's Eve Block Party will remain in Tempe, the parade will still march through Phoenix streets and the basketball classic stays in Tucson.

"We know that every community in the Valley and the state will benefit economically, and that's what it's all about- filling the hole so everybody can benefit."

Being spread all over the Valley will keep the organization's 2,400 volunteers hopping, but Gina Chapin, also with the Fiesta Bowl, thinks they will have more help soon. "Our current volunteers will surely follow us west, but we're expecting a huge influx of new volunteers, as well."

And look for new sponsors. "Because we are moving to the West side, we are hearing from businesses interested in getting involved with the Fiesta Bowl that haven't been involved prior (to the move)," said Chapin.

"This community really supports our game and that is a calling card that we are very fortunate and blessed to have, so we can say that we don't take second place to anyone," added Junker.

As if things weren't busy enough--- the Fiesta Bowl headquarters office will move from Tempe to the Scottsdale Waterfront in August, and a new Web site debuts too: www.fiestabowl.org.