By SDCN Editor
San Diego, CA–Sports San Diego officials announced they are seeking a title sponsor for the 2023 Holiday Bowl.
After a six-year run serving as the title sponsor of the game, San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU) has opted not to continue in this capacity moving forward.
Before assuming an entitlement to the Holiday Bowl in 2017, SDCCU was the title sponsor of the Poinsettia Bowl from 2005 through 2016 and has supported the non-profit bowl association each year since 1994.
“We are so grateful to SDCCU for their longtime support and tremendous contributions to San Diego’s bowl game effort,” said Mark Neville, CEO of Sports San Diego, the group that produces the annual Holiday Bowl game. “They are a wonderful community partner and make San Diego a better place for all of us.”
San Diego’s Holiday Bowl first kicked off in 1978. The game is widely known for its high-scoring contests, down-to-the-wire finishes, big crowds, and large television audiences. True to form, the 2022 game featured a final minute, come-from-behind 28-27 Oregon Ducks victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels, in front of a near-sellout crowd at Petco Park and 3,969,000 FOX television viewers.
Of the 43 bowl games last year, the Holiday Bowl was the 10th most watched game. Of the 37 non-College Football Playoff bowl games, it was the fourth most watched.
In addition to the Holiday Bowl, Sports San Diego also owns and operates the Rady Children’s Invitational, a four-team event that tips off this Thanksgiving at UC San Diego’s Lion Tree Arena. The inaugural tournament field features Iowa, Oklahoma, Seton Hall, and USC. The games will be televised on FOX or FS1. Sports San Diego also serves as San Diego’s sports commission.
Recognizing that San Diego is a premier tourist destination, the mission of Sports San Diego is to generate tourism, visibility, and economic impact for the San Diego region by producing and recruiting outstanding events and experiences for visitors and local fans of all ages. Since 1978, the association has generated more than $1 billion in economic benefit for the San Diego region.