Sports San Diego is seeking a title sponsor for the 2023 Holiday Bowl after San Diego County Credit Union opted out, ending a six-year run as the title sponsor of the game.
“We are so grateful to SDCCU for their longtime support and tremendous contributions to San Diego’s bowl game effort,” said Mark Neville, chief executive officer of Sports San Diego, the group that produces the annual Holiday Bowl. “They are a wonderful community partner and make San Diego a better place for all of us.”
Before assuming entitlement of the Holiday Bowl in 2017, SDCCU was the title sponsor of the Poinsettia Bowl from 2005 through 2016 and has supported the non-profit bowl association since 1994.
The Holiday Bowl first kicked off in 1978 and has become widely known for its high-scoring shootouts. Of the 43 bowl games in 2022, the Holiday Bowl was the 10th most watched game. Of the 37 non-College Football Playoff bowl games, it was the fourth most watched. This past year’s game was the first played at Petco Park, home of Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres.
In addition to the Holiday Bowl, Sports San Diego also owns and operates the Rady Children’s Invitational, a four-team college basketball event that tips off this Thanksgiving at UC San Diego’s Lion Tree Arena. The inaugural tournament field features Iowa, Oklahoma, Seton Hall and USC.