Home Depot Center News

SACRAMENTO - The Home Depot Center in Carson will remain the host site for the CIF State Football Championship Bowl Games Presented by Farmers, CIF Executive Director Marie M. Ishida announced Monday. The CIF State Office and the Home Depot Center signed a three-year deal that will run through the 2012 season. The Home Depot Center was selected over Bakersfield College's Memorial Stadium, Buchanan High School in Clovis, Los Angeles Coliseum, San Jose State University's Spartan Stadium, and Stanford Stadium

\"I'm pleased with the selection of The Home Depot Center again,\" Ishida said. \"We had some great venues that we considered. But because we've been with The Home Depot Center in the past, and because they provided us with an opportunity to go back that was financially feasible, we chose to sign a deal with them. We think we a have first-class event and we're proud to have our games at a first-class venue like The Home Depot Center.\"

Other factors that weighed into CIF's decision to return to The Home Depot Center included the size of the venue, its location, and the opportunity to build fascination around the state football championships.

\"We're trying not only to create and develop an event, but generate a goal that The Home Depot Center is a final destination for our football teams like the \"Road to Arco\" (Arena) in Sacramento is for our state basketball championships, or the \"Road to Woodward Park\" in Fresno is for our state cross country championships. We now have that mystique for the football championships.\"

Next season's two-day, five-game (Open Division, Divisions I, II, III and Small Schools) event is Friday-Saturday, December 17-18, 2010. The selection of the participating teams is Sunday, December 12, 2010.

Participating teams must be a CIF Section champion to be eligible for selection to the state football championship. Last year, there were a total of 48 CIF Section champions - 23 from Northern California and 25 from Southern California.

In addition to the football games, The Home Depot Center will serve as host for the CIF's ancillary events which include the UCA California State Cheerleading Championships and a Coaches Clinic sponsored by NIKE.

\"The Home Depot Center is proud to continue our partnership with the CIF, and we look forward to another exciting weekend of the state's best high school football in December,\" General Manager Katie Pandolfo said. \"We look forward to welcoming fans from all over the state of California to Carson, and Cal State Dominguez Hills, and are thrilled to be part of the high school football tradition that we've helped to build over the last four years.\"

The Home Depot Center features an all-grass playing surface and seats 27,000. Its soccer stadium serves as the home of Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, and its facilities also include a tennis stadium, an indoor velodrome, and a track-and-field facility. The 125-acre facility is on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, in Carson.

The concept of the state football championship bowl games was approved by the CIF Federated Council as a two-year pilot in May 2005. The pilot proposal called for three games to be played in December 2006 and 2007. Those contests took place at The Home Depot Center. The CIF previously offered state football championships early in the 20th Century, between the years of 1919-1928. The event was discontinued at that time due to financial constraints.

Last season's champions were De La Salle-Concord (Open), Oceanside (Division I), Servite-Anaheim (Division II), Serra-Gardena (Division III) and Modesto Christian (Small Schools).

Contact:
Quwan Spears,
Sports Information Officer
qspears@cifstate.org

CIF State Office, 4658 Duckhorn Drive, Sacramento, CA 95834
Phone: 916-239-4477 Fax: 916-239-4478