http://www.victorysportsnetwork.com/Cli ... -clash.htm

In a move that was probably anticipated, the NAIA is seeking to move the NAIA championship game to a new location following the 2013 championship. Bids for the the following two championship games ('14 and '15 seasons) will start being accepted over the summer.

Where does everyone think a good location would be or where do you think the NAIA will ultimately end up moving the championship game, since they want to move it somewhere where the NAIA is located?

The requirements are: NAIA school to host, as warm as possible in mid Dec, reasonable location for travel & decent size of stadium w/o being too large [5 to 6K is about right].

Would Evangel be willing to host in Springfield? They seem to meet those qualities, correct?

quite a few conference and even some national championships are in Montgomery AL... they just REALLY upgraded Faulkner's former home, Cramton Bowl, and Major Todd Strange specifically invited the national championship to the city while speaking at Faulkner's stadium dedication... its 20k so it may be too big, but the climate is good and its a large enough city to accomodate a large number of travelers... its a beautiful facility

airport is smallish though

Nice place- any team would love to play in that venue.

What are the rules regarding the host team making the chip? Faulkner seems to be on the rise. Say that they bid on the title game and get it for '14 and '15. In one of those years, they bust loose and make the championship. Do they get to play at home? That seems like a riduculous advantage to me.

[img][img][/img][/img]http://www.stonycreeklifestyle.com/store/2/lucas_oil_stadium.jpg

haha... i thought my suggestion was a little over the top... seriously? Lucas Oil?

Men.... this debating is silly. Southeastern University will have their new stadium built by 2014. The National Title game will be played in Lakeland, Florida at this new facility:






IMO, it will be the jewell of NAIA facilities. Add the December weather in Lakeland, FL into the mix, and this will be ideal.

2010 ncaa final four, 2012 super bowl, what more do you want?
Weather won't matter with retractable roof. I'm just kidding by the way.

I saw the Southeastern discussion in another thread, but I still thought it would be fun to debate the possibilities, because none of us really know what's going to happen. While the planned facility looks great and Florida is warm in December, I feel like it's too far away from the heart of the NAIA. I know the championship now is in Rome, GA which is also far away, but a lot of these teams are used to the cold and everything and the NFL is even looking at cold weather cities to host the Super Bowl.

I know you want to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone and fans don't necessarily want to sit out in the freezing cold for another game, but as long as there's not a reasonable chance for there to be a blizzard or something, I don't see a problem with moving the championship game closer to where most of the NAIA teams play. It would be easier and potentially cheaper for travel and the people interested in NAIA from all teams even if their team doesnt make the championship would maybe think twice about going to the game if it was a little bit closer. That's just how I see it though maybe nobody else agrees with me, and that's perfectly fine.

If playing at a NAIA school wasn't a requirement then having the game at Pitt State University would be an amazing place to play. The stadium and facility is the top of D2 and comparable to some D1 and D1-AA. The town of Pittsburg would embrace the game also with how big football is in that town.

What? You're nuts man. The town of Pittsburg would not embrace the game. If you're going to play the game in Kansas, play it at Southwestern in Winfield.

Have you ever been to a game at Pitt State? If not then you have no grounds on commenting on that. It is a better atmosphere then most college games you will be able to go to ever for non-BCS teams. If people don't show up to a Southwestern game then why would you think they would show up to any other game.

It's been brought up many times before, and after having been there (Franny vs LU in 2010 playoffs), how about having Lindenwood host it? Granted they've moved to D2 so there may not be an issue with conflicting schedules, and they're a fomer NAIA school, so they would understand our needs. It's centrally located in MO, within driving distance of most NAIA schools. They're located in beautiful St. Charles, nice city, gorgeous campus, first class facilities (I think it seats 5k +/-), hotels and restaurants everywhere and just a few minutes drive from Lambert/St. Louis Intl Airport.

Yes, I've been there. It is great. But its a D2 town man. Those people are Pitt State fans. They look down on the NAIA, and those people aren't going to show up for an NAIA game and create the same type of atmosphere. Secondly, there is always a pretty good chance of Pitt State actually playing in the D-II title game the same day. Nobody in Pittsburg would show up to the NAIA title game if Pitt State was playing.

Sorry man, but that idea is absurd.

No to Lindenwood as well.

You guys need to completely remove the D-II venues and campuses from your mind. Forget about them. Its not going to happen. The NAIA is NOT going to play a game on an NCAA Campus. STOP IT... ALL OF YOU.

Kansas or Missouri in December? Seriously?

i'm not far from Lindenwood, so that would be cool... i just dont think it would happen after Lwood and many others have spurned the NAIA

I think it would be fun to see the folks for Sporting KC put in a bid. Livestrong Sporting Park is a soccer stadium, but when it opened a year and a half ago, they showed plans that would enable to them to convert to a football field very easily. The stadium is brand new, holds close to 20K but is very initmate. It is located in Kansas City Kansas, so any number of NAIA schools could host the event much like the NAIA Soccer tournament. The stadium sits in the shadow of the Kansas Speedway so there is plenty of hotel accommodations as well as attractions.
That part of the city has really embraced the growth that is happening their so I would think they would do the same for an event like this because NAIA football is very well represented in this area.
The weather would be an issue because you just never know in Kansas in December. Could be 40 and sunny, could be 12 and gray. Travel would be very easy too, as KCI airport is only 20 minutes from the stadium.
I think it would be great to see the chipper in the KC area. I am bias! But it would be great.

I think it is an interesting question when you talk about weather.

Is it so important? How cold is too cold? The reason I ask is that for the last decade, the teams that have been in the National Final I think would be running naked around the field if it was breezy and 40 degrees considering the winter wonderland of Helena, Sioux Falls, Chicago etc.

I would interested in everyones thoughts?

What about any of the big high schools in Texas? Weather's good. HS Football is done, Stadiums will be plenty big. Any Texans out there know of any towns that could host?

It's not about the players its about the fans. Well, partly the players. You don't want to have a championship game in a snow storm or thick fog or other harsh weather. But that aside, it's that you would probably get a lot better attendance if part of the appeal was to escape to a warm location for the game. The idea that "sunny and 40" is an upside is kind of funny. You get down south and the average is in the mid 60's. That's where they need to go.