CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Charlotte's college football bowl game now has a new title sponsor _ Duke's Mayonnaise.
The Charlotte Sports Foundation made the announcement Thursday morning. The bowl game, traditionally held between Christmas and New Year's Day, had been sponsored by Belk since 2011. In November, it was announced that Belk would no longer be the title sponsor for the game starting with the 2020 season.
The Duke's Mayonnaise sponsorship will also include Bank of America's "Kickoff" games early in the season _ Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest in 2020 and then two high-profile season openers in 2021 (Appalachian State/East Carolina and Clemson/Georgia).
Tickets for the first Duke's Mayo Classic _ Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame on Sept. 26th _ are now on sale. Game organizers are hopeful that they can play the game without COVID-19 restrictions on the number of fans in attendance.
And the company, owned by Sauer Brands, hopes the partnership will bring attention and business to the Charlotte hospitality industry, which has been shaken by COVID-19.
"Charlotte is right in the center (of our base)," Sauer Brands CEO Martin Kelly told the Observer. "And to be able to do something that brings business to the region, and helps our hospitality customers without long-term recovery after the devastation that they've experienced over the last few months _ that was really important part of our strategy here."
Charlotte Sports Foundation Executive Director Danny Morrison said the foundation and Duke's have worked out back-up plans for COVID-19 changes to the games. For fans, he says: go ahead and "buy your tickets."
If capacity changes to the stadium need to be made due to the coronavirus, tickets will be refunded and customers will be reseated based on prioritization, Morrison said.
"The safety and health of fans and the participants will be paramount," he said. "We'll follow the guidelines of Bank of America Stadium."
The 19th annual holiday bowl game in Charlotte will be called the Duke's Mayo Bowl and hasn't set a date yet. For the first time, it will feature a matchup between the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big Ten Conference. The contract between Duke's Mayonnaise and Charlotte Sports Foundation was characterized as "multi-year," but Morrison and Kelly wouldn't give more details. Financial terms weren't disclosed.
"The pairing with college football is just give us a perfect fit for us," Kelly said. "Tailgating _ it's food, families and all that. So we're we're just super, super excited about this."
Duke's Mayonnaise will become the bowl game's fourth title sponsor. Continental Tire was the first, Meineke Car Care Center the second and Belk the third.
"The Duke's brand is synonymous with mayonnaise in every kitchen in the south," Morrison said. "Partnering with such a storied, regionally based partner is an energizing opportunity for CSF. We look forward to promoting their iconic brand on a national level, and we're excited to operate the bowl and kickoff games in 2020 and beyond with Duke's Mayonnaise as our partner."
The sponsorship does not affect the annual ACC championship game played in Charlotte.
