ACC officially moves football title game to Orlando
The Atlantic Coast Conference Football Championship Game has officially been moved to Orlando.
The title game had been played in Charlotte since 2010 and was under contract to be held here through 2019, but the ACC earlier this month pulled the Dec. 3 event from the city over opposition to House Bill 2, marking the latest sports-related fallout from the controversial law.
The ACC said earlier this week that anyone who bought tickets for the game at Bank of America Stadium through official ticket avenues would be given a full refund. The Charlotte Sports Foundation, which sold tickets locally, said Thursday that refunds could take five to seven days to post.
If they wish to go to Orlando, those who had bought tickets to the Charlotte game will be able to re-purchase them in a three-day pre-sale period starting Oct. 5, the ACC said Thursday. Tickets will be available to the general public on Ticketmaster on October 10 starting at 10 a.m.
The game takes place at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium on Dec. 3. Kickoff will be in primetime at 7:45 p.m. if carried by ESPN, the ACC said, or 8 p.m. if carried by ABC.
Hosting the ACC Football Championship Game isn’t new for Florida: Jacksonville hosted the game from 2005-2007, and Tampa hosted in 2008-2009.
The ACC’s decision to pull the game from Charlotte follows similar moves by the NCAA and the NBA, which moved its 2017 All-Star Game to New Orleans. HB2 requires transgender people to use restrooms in government facilities that correspond with the gender on their birth certificates. The law also sets a statewide definition of nondiscrimination that excludes sexual orientation and gender identity.
Katherine Peralta: 704-358-5079, @katieperalta
This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 10:38 AM with the headline "ACC officially moves football title game to Orlando."