SALEM, Va. – Salem Stadium will host the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's football championship in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Salem hosted the game in November 2016 after the conference moved the contest out of Durham due to North Carolina’s HB2 controversy.
Nearly 3,500 fans showed-up to watch Winston-Salem State beat Bowie State for the title last fall in Salem.
“That was a great experience, and Salem is honored and privileged to host the CIAA football championship for an additional three years,” said Salem Mayor Randy Foley. “Our facilities and professionalism, combined with the Virginia’s Blue Ridge hospitality, amenities and can-do attitude, exemplify the great teamwork we have regarding tourism and economic development in this region.”
Foley and Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea, who are both former college football players at the University of Virginia and Virginia Union University, respectively, lobbied hard along with Salem’s tourism director, Carey Harveycutter, to make the game a fixture in Salem for the region’s football fans.
“I am elated that the CIAA has chosen the city of Salem to host their Conference Championship game again,” said Lea. “This a major victory for this entire valley, and it speaks to the outstanding work of Carey Harveycutter and his staff. They are the best in the country at securing these championship events.”
Salem has hosted 85 NCAA national championships since 1993 in either Division II or Division III. This December, the city will play host to the Division III football title game, The Stagg Bowl, for the 25th consecutive year. The city’s proven performance history as a host and the overall commitment of Virginia’s Blue Ridge region made the CIAA’s decision a relatively easy one.
In addition to the championship game, Salem’s Taliaferro Complex also will host the CIAA Football Media Day this summer on July 20.