SPARTANBURG, SC — Team Spartanburg, the sports council of the Spartanburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, is excited to announce that Spartanburg will be the host city for the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas for the next five years. The Shrine Bowl Board of Governors unanimously voted Monday, April 30, to return to Gibbs Stadium at Wofford College from 2007 to the 75^th anniversary of the Shrine Bowl in 2011.

Chuck Dixon, finance chairman for Team Spartanburg, says many factors helped to convince the prestigious high school all-star football game to remain in Spartanburg. “The cooperation of the City of Spartanburg, members of Team Spartanburg, and the community that has truly embraced this event allowed us to win the bid for the Shrine Bowl to stay in Spartanburg.”

The event is central to collegiate recruiting. “For one week, Spartanburg and the Shrine Bowl will be the center of the college football recruiting world. A representative or representatives of all major college football programs in the country will be in Spartanburg. The head coaches of the ACC and SEC will be in town for most of the week and will participate in the Touchdown Club luncheon at the Spartanburg Marriott at Renaissance Park.”

Typically held on the third Saturday in December, the game will be preceded by a week of events that will highlight both the Shrine Bowl and the Spartanburg community. Dixon is excited about the impact that this week will have on the area. “The Shrine Bowl means a lot to Spartanburg and the upstate of South Carolina. The economic impact to the local area is more that $2 million. The game and the surrounding events make for a phenomenal week,” he says.

Team Spartanburg Chairman Mike Shetterly sees the event as a natural fit for Spartanburg. “The Shrine Bowl and the city of Spartanburg are steeped with their individual histories, but both are currently enjoying a period of revival and rebirth. We are good for each other, and we are delighted that the Shriners have selected Spartanburg as their long-term home.”

Team Spartanburg, the sports council of the Spartanburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, is the major sponsor for the event.

Team Spartanburg’s mission is to promote Spartanburg as a destination for sports events; it recruits new events as well as provide assistance to existing sports events. Team Spartanburg is supported by its partners:

Head Coach – City of Spartanburg, JM Smith Corporation, Spartanburg Coca-Cola, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System
Team Captain – Herald Journal/Celebrate Community, Wofford College
Cheerleader – Ogletree Deakins, Showcase Marketing, Spartanburg Marriott at Renaissance Park, Spartanburg Methodist College, University of South Carolina Upstate

For information about Team Spartanburg, go to www.teamspartanburgsc.org or contact Jules Bryant at (864) 594-5051 or laura.corbin@wofford.edu or Nikki Harris at (864) 594-5050 or laura.corbin@wofford.edu.