In an effort to “Keep it in the Shoals,” a press conference was held Thursday afternoon at the Shoals Chamber of Commerce to announce that the Shoals National Championship Committee (SNCC) will be entering the bidding process to maintain the rights to host the NCAA Division II Football Championship Game.

This is a game that has been hosted in the Shoals for 28 years, regardless of whether or not the UNA Lions have made it to the national championship said Mark Linder, director of athletics at UNA. The game has about a $1,000,000 impact on the Shoals community every year, Linder said.

“On December 21, 2013 the game will again be played at Braly Stadium, but it is the final game under the current contract with the NCAA,” said Judy Keenum, shoals national championship coordinator, in a press release.

UNA and the Shoals Chamber of Commerce have already committed to bid on the upcoming contract, which will allow the community to host the game for the next four years — 2014-2017 — Keenum said.

“The 28 years that the game will have been played in the Shoals is the second longest period that any NCAA championship in any sport has been at one site,” Keenum said.

Although the Shoals community has hosted the game for since 1986, there are currently at least three other cities competitively bidding to move the game to their city, said Jeff Hodges, sports information director at UNA. The Shoals community’s experience hosting the game helps in setting the community apart from other competitors in the bidding process, he said.

“The stability that this area has given this game is pretty unique,” he said. “(There is) the fact that we’ve hosted it (before) and that we’ve proven we can meet the financial obligations (involved with hosting the game).”

In order to maintain the rights to host the game in Florence, the SNCC will be launching the “Keep it in the Shoals” campaign, to raise awareness and community support that could strengthen their bid, said Mitch Dobbins. He cited community business and national attention to UNA as important reasons why the Shoals community should come together to strengthen the bid.

“Individuals are being asked to pledge to purchase 4 tickets for the next 5 years (including 2013), and each ticket is $20,” said Keenum. “Hence, individuals in the Shoals area will hopefully rally and pledge to purchase 4,000 tickets annually for the next 5 years.”

UNA students are welcome to attend a “town hall meeting” to learn about the bidding opportunity and express their opinions on keeping the game contract on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center, Linder said.

“The healthier (financially) we stay as a community, the healthier we stay as a university, and the healthier programs (at UNA) can stay for students,” he said. “It’s all about the common good.”