The Colorado High School Activities Association, along with Colorado State University, announced a partnership to host the 5A and 4A state football championships at Canvas Stadium starting in the 2023-24 academic year.
The 3A football championship, which is the division Durango High School competes in, will also move to Canvas Stadium starting in 2024-25.
The partnership is a multiyear agreement, and will bring the 5A-3A football championships to one of the premier football facilities in the state. The 36,500 seat stadium opened in 2017.
“Obviously, an incredible number of considerations come into play when it comes to a decision of this magnitude,” CHSAA Commissioner Mike Krueger said. “As we learned more and continued dialogue with CSU, it became apparent that CSU and Canvas Stadium was going to be a great fit for our schools and membership as a whole.”
“We also understand that the benefits will go beyond CHSAA,” he said. “We have seen the positive impact that bringing events to communities around our state can have on cities and towns. We look forward to the city of Fort Collins opening their arms and embracing these championships like the city of Pueblo has done at the Thunderbowl for the 6-man, 8-man, 1A and 2A classifications. I believe it is a strength when we recognize the diversity in our state and acknowledge that our kids come from all over. Bringing this championship event to Fort Collins continues our efforts to build upon that strength.”
While the 4A/5A championship games will continue to be played on the same day, all three games will occur on the same day beginning in 2024. The 2A-6-man championships will continue to be hosted at the CSU-Pueblo ThunderBowl.
“Leaving a special venue like Empower Field is definitely not easy. We have built and maintain a great relationship with the Denver Broncos and we are proud to have called Empower Field at Mile High our home for the last 18 years,” Krueger said. “As with all things, there comes a time for change. With our contract expiring, we felt it was only natural to explore all opportunities.”
The 5A/4A football championships had been played at Empower Field at Mile High since 2005. The contract with the Denver Broncos and Colorado Sports Hall of Fame ended at the conclusion of the 2022-23 school year.
“We are proud to have worked with and established strong relationships with the Denver Broncos and Colorado Sports Hall of Fame,” CHSAA Assistant Commissioner overseeing football John Sullivan said. “Moving forward, we are excited to give our CHSAA football schools the opportunity to see the same things that attracted our team to CSU. The facilities are fantastic, the fact that the stadium is in the heart of a college campus, and the ability for us to include 3A into the 4A and 5A game day schedule after the fall of 2023 made this new partnership so inviting.”
The 3A, 4A and 5A football state finals for 2023 are scheduled for Dec. 2.
