ORLANDO, FL – ESPN Events and the Orlando Sports Foundation (OSF) announced on Sunday that the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and Northern Illinois Huskies will play in the 2021 Tailgreeter Cure Bowl at Exploria Stadium. Kickoff for the seventh-annual contest is set for Friday, Dec. 17, at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
“On behalf of the Orlando Sports Foundation, we are honored to welcome Coastal Carolina and Northern Illinois to the Tailgreeter Cure Bowl,” said Alan Gooch, Orlando Sports Foundation CEO and Tailgreeter Cure Bowl Executive Director. “Gameday is going to be special as college football fans, cancer survivors and supporters, both team’s bands and the Orlando Community come together at Church Street Station for the March 2 Cure before heading to Exploria Stadium to watch the Chanticleers compete against the Huskies.”
Coastal Carolina (10-2, 6-2 Sun Belt) is making its second bowl appearance, while Northern Illinois (9-4, 6-2 Mid-American) is heading to its 14th bowl game. The Chanticleers made their bowl debut at the 2020 FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl. The MAC Champion Huskies are making their fourth trip to the Sunshine State, which includes appearances in the 2012 Orange Bowl, 2014 and 2018 Boca Raton Bowl.
This is the first time the two programs are meeting on the football field.
“The Tailgreeter Cure Bowl’s mission has always been about bringing teams together to find a cure for cancer,” said Jim Warmus, Orlando Sports Foundation President. “Coastal Carolina and Northern Illinois will carry on our tradition of raising awareness for cancer research.”
The Tailgreeter Cure Bowl, one of the 17 college football bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, is one of many fundraising events hosted by the Orlando Sports Foundation that supports the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and other cancer organizations. Over $3.88 million has been raised since 2015. Local Orlando researcher Dr. Annette Khaled at the UCF College of Medicine has been vetted by BCRF and received $1.2 million from the funds donated.
Tickets start at $35 and are currently on sale at CureBowl.com.
The March 2 Cure is a pregame block party starting at 2 p.m. at Church Street Station. The event will be highlighted by a cancer tribute march featuring the team bands, dignitaries, cancer survivors, cancer supporters and the Orlando community walking together in a cloud of pink smoke to Exploria Stadium.
Tailgreeter is a digital marketplace headquartered in Chicago, Ill., that connects tailgate hosts with fans that prefer to join a tailgate instead of trying to set it up themselves. Tailgreeter is elevating fans’ game day experiences one parking lot at a time. With hosts in more than 100 locations around the world and tailgates ranging from football and soccer games to races and concerts, Tailgreeter affords everyone an opportunity to enjoy an affordable, hassle-free experience. Find out more at www.tailgreeter.com.
Opened in March 2017, Exploria Stadium is home to Orlando City of Major League Soccer (MLS) and Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The 25,500 seat soccer-specific stadium is located in the heart of Downtown Orlando and was the first MLS stadium to open with five consecutive victories. Exploria Stadium was 100 percent privately funded at a cost of $155 million. It features a 360-degree lower bowl, North America’s first safe-standing supporters’ section – dubbed “The Wall” – and a four-sided canopy roof to keep the noise in and weather out. In Section 12, there are 49 rainbow-colored seats to memorialize the victims of the tragedy at Pulse Nightclub. The stadium also houses the Club’s Front Office.
To date, the stadium has hosted a U.S. Men’s National Team’s 2018 World Cup Qualifier, the U.S. Women’s National Team in the 2018 & 2020 SheBelieves Cup, as well as the 2017 NWSL Championship, 2017 NCAA Women’s College Cup, 2018 & 2019 MLS Combines, the Florida Cup, the 2019 MLS All-Star Game and the 2019 Cure Bowl – the first non-soccer event at the venue.
Find out more at www.orlandocitysc.com
