SAN DIEGO–With it being “game over” for the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, the former title sponsor says it’s time to focus on other community events, and look back on the years of benefits the relationship brought to the community, members and the credit union.
The San Diego Bowl Game Association announced in January that it will focus its attention on just one college bowl game—the Holiday Bowl. Both the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl and the Holiday Bowl have been played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, usually within weeks of one another.
CEO Teresa Halleck said that the $7.9-billion San Diego County CU was not surprised by the San Diego Bowl Game Association’s announcement.
“We were not caught off guard, but we were disappointed to learn about the fate of the Poinsettia Bowl,” Halleck said. “But we understand the decision of the San Diego Bowl Game Association to consolidate efforts and focus on one dynamic bowl event. When the inaugural SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl took place in 2005, there were a total of 28 bowl games nationwide, which grew to 41 by 2016. This growth impacted the bowl game landscape.”
What's Ahead?
With the Poinsettia Bowl gone, Halleck didn’t say if a sponsorship with the Holiday Bowl is ahead, but instead said the credit union’s attention will be on supporting the more than 75 non-profits it works with annually, and participating in more than 400 community events each year.
The average attendance for the Poinsettia Bowl through the years was 32,264, although four of the game’s smallest crowds were in the past six years. The game was broadcast on ESPN and San Diego County Credit Union signage was prominent. As Halleck noted, the CU has been the only title sponsor over the game’s 12-year run, and the only credit union sponsoring a bowl game.
“Over the years, our credit union, as well as the credit union industry, received significant exposure from our support of the bowl game,” said Halleck. “For example, the amount of social and traditional media coverage received was incredible. Year after year, the SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl trended on Twitter.”
Halleck said the local community benefitted from the game, as well, a big reason for the sponsorship, she said.
“In 12 years, the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl had a tremendous impact on the community. With more than 400,000 attendees during that time, the game drove $100 million dollars into the economy and raised over $450,000 for charities,” said Halleck. “One dollar from every ticket sold to the game benefited a charity. Over the past two years, the game beneficiary was Biz Kid$, resulting in over $50,000 to teach students in San Diego about money and business.”
Holiday Tradition
Noting again that SDCCU was the only credit union in the country to sponsor a bowl game, Halleck said that the credit union was often asked why it sponsored the game.
“For us, the answer was simple—the game was a holiday tradition in San Diego, it gave back to a charitable cause, created memorable experiences, generated tourism and tax dollars and made a powerful impact on the local economy,” said Halleck, who declined to share costs for the relationship. “As I said, in its 12 years the bowl game drove millions into the economy and helped our hometown thrive when our region’s tourism industry is at its slowest.”