“We want to make sure we’re 100% on what we can put forward,” officials said.
ARLINGTON, Texas — As news spread that AT&T Stadium would no longer host the 2029 College Football Playoff Championship, many sports fans responded with surprise.
The Arlington dome has hosted numerous high-stakes sporting events, including College Football Playoff semifinals and the title game in 2015, and “Jerry World” will also host the biggest sporting event in the world in 2026, when the FIFA World Cup will bring nine matches to the stadium.
But local officials offered two explanations — and uncertainties — for dropping the title game hosting duties in 2029.
Reason No. 1 is that the remodel of the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center may not be complete by 2029, said Scottie Rodgers, vice president of communications with the Cotton Bowl, which leads the bidding process for AT&T Stadium. The convention center would have hosted the fan fest connected to the championship, and uncertainty about its completion date weakened AT&T Stadium’s bid for the game.
Officials also cited possible changes to a state program, the Event Trust Funds Program, as another reason to defer the AT&T Stadium’s bid for the Championship.
“We want to make sure we’re 100% on what we can put forward,” Rogers said.
The Event Trust Fund is a state fund created to help local governments pay for the costs associated with hosting major events, as long as they meet the requirements set by state law, according to the Office of the Governor’s Economic Development and Tourism Office.
In July, when the Cotton Bowl was preparing a bid for the big game, the governor’s office was reviewing the program and considering changes to the expenses eligible for reimbursement, according to documents published by the Governor’s office. The proposed changes include the state no longer reimbursing the costs of hotels, lodging, flights and awards.
Those changes may not have had an impact on the Cotton Bowl’s bid, but at the time it was unclear what the changes might be, Rodgers said. Without funding from the state, it would be challenging to attract and plan an event as big as the College Football Playoff Championship, Rodgers said.
To receive funding from the Event Trust Funds Program, the host must apply for funding and after the event, the host must provide the total attendance of the event and a list of costs incurred to bring the event to Texas. The host also contributes a local share of the total cost, and that local share is matched 6.25 to 1 by the state, according to the Governor’s office.
The state’s contribution cannot exceed the projected increase in tax revenue as a result of the event.
In the past, the state has provided reimbursements for the 2015 National Football Playoff Championship, which was hosted at AT&T Stadium. In 2015, the state expected to pay Dallas and Arlington about $10.7 million for bringing the event to Texas, according to state documents. It’s unclear exactly how much the state ended up contributing. In a report, the state estimates the event may have generated over $2 million in additional taxes, but said the data provided was inconclusive.
In 2021, the Big 12 Championship received an estimated $1.7 million in state incentives, according to state documents. Similarly, a report produced after the event found no measurable impact on state tax revenues as a result of the event.
When the convention center construction timeline and state incentive rules are more certain, the Cotton Bowl looks forward to submitting a bid for a future Championship.
“We look forward to being a part of the next process and bringing a National Championship to North Texas,” Rodgers said.