Florida State to play 2016 spring game at Citrus Bowl in Orlando
Florida State is taking its 2016 spring game to Orlando.
The program announced Monday that because of scheduled construction at Doak Campbell Stadium, the game will be played on April 9 at the Citrus Bowl, about 250 miles south of FSU’s campus in Tallahassee.
“The short term construction challenges of building the Champions Club in Doak Campbell stadium have provided a unique opportunity for our 2016 spring football game,” said FSU athletic director Stan Wilcox. “We are pleased to offer our fans greater access to Florida State football at an exciting and refurbished venue in one of the best destinations cities in the world. Moving the game to Orlando and partnering with Steve Hogan and his staff at Florida Citrus Sports will allow us to platform the game and Florida State athletics in exciting and unique new ways.”
In a release, FSU said it will “sponsor a number of events surrounding the game, including a block party on Friday evening similar to the one held in downtown Tallahassee prior to every FSU home game.” Tickets for the game, which is scheduled for 5 p.m., will be general admission and cost $5.00 each.
“We are excited to play our 2016 spring game at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando,” said FSU head football coach Jimbo Fisher. “With the renovations to our stadium next spring that have been provided from contributions from our fans and boosters, it gave us a unique opportunity to hold our spring weekend at another venue. The Orlando area is a tremendous part of our Seminole fan base and it will be a great opportunity for the greatest fans in college football from across the state to see our team. Couple that with the fact that we are opening the 2016 season against Ole Miss in the Citrus Bowl and it made sense.”
In addition to the spring game, the Seminoles also open the 2016 season at the Citrus Bowl against Ole Miss on Sept. 3.
"This will be the first spring game that Florida Citrus Sports has hosted and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan. “What a perfect lead to our new Orlando Kickoff game between Florida State and Ole Miss later in the year on September 5, 2016, as fans will get an early look at one of the top teams in the country."
For more Florida State news, visit Warchant.com.
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