Coastal Carolina to host Myrtle Beach Bowl in 2020

In a coordinated effort with the City of Myrtle Beach, ESPN Events and Coastal Carolina University, it was announced on Nov. 13 that Brooks Stadium will be the host venue for the Myrtle Beach Bowl, set to begin in during the 2020 college football bowl season.

The Myrtle Beach Bowl will consist of teams from Conference USA, Mid-American Conference (MAC) and the Sun Belt Conference. Each conference will participate in the bowl game four times between 2020 and 2025.

ESPN senior vice president of college sports programming Pete Derzis talked about what bringing this bowl game to the Grand Strand means to college football.

“We are pleased to bring post season college football to the greater Myrtle Beach area and are thrilled to have representation from three of our conference partners; Conference USA, MAC and Sun Belt," said Derzis. "With the inaugural Myrtle Beach Basketball Invitational taking place this week, the addition of this bowl game brings yet another opportunity to showcase all that Myrtle Beach has to offer."

This is not the first time that ESPN, the City of Myrtle Beach and Coastal Carolina have partnered together to put on a major sporting event.

After hurricanes ravaged Puerto Rico last September, the Puerto Rico Tip-Off was moved to Myrtle Beach. The way the City of Myrtle Beach and Coastal Carolina handled the event with such a small window of time to operate was widely praised by teams participating and fans attending the event.

President and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Karen Riordan discussed reopening that partnership with ESPN and Coastal Carolina University.

"Visit Myrtle Beach is thrilled to team up once again with ESPN and Coastal Carolina to bring another major sporting event to our region," said Riordan. "It is a fantastic addition to the sports offerings in the Myrtle Beach area, and our exciting destination will ensure that players, coaches, and fans will have a great experience."

Coastal Carolina Director of Athletics Matt Hogue talked about what kind of impact this will have not just for Coastal Carolina but for the community as well.

“We are honored to be a part of history in establishing the first bowl game in the state of South Carolina," said Hogue. "The brand impact for our University from this game and the excitement of college football during the bowl season will be immeasurable and represents another example of how important sports tourism is to the promotion of our region."

For more information on the Myrtle Beach Bowl, visit www.myrtlebeachbowlgame.com.