The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl is all set for the eighth edition of the biggest and longest running collegiate football season ending championship bowl game to take place at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium on Friday, December 16.

HomeTown Lenders was introduced as the new sponsors at a press conference on Friday in the foyer of the stadium where officials from Atlantis, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture through the National Sports Authority all participated.

The game will take place at 11:30am between Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference and will be carried live on ESPN.

“We’re so excited about their commitment to ESPN and to the Bahamas and really getting involved in the community,” said Lea Miller-Tooley, the executive director.

“They know this is more than football.

“The teams will come down and experience a once in a lifetime experience and so for us, to have a company like HomeTown Lenders based in Arizona, who understands the totality of why this is more than college football is a huge blessing.”

College football is huge and Miller-Tooley said for the Bahamas Bowl to kick off the series of bowl games at the end of the season is a huge experience and exposure for the Bahamas.

“Everyone across the United States watching football is freezing while the players are down here sweating it out in the heat,” Miller-Tooley said. “To see the smiles of people when they walk on the field here is just a blessing.”

The Bahamas Bowl staged the first of the international collegiate football bowl games played outside of the United States in 2014. The next five bowl games were played through 2019. But after taking a year off because of COVID-19, the Bahamas Bowl returned in 2021.

John Taylor, president of HomeTown Lenders, said they were looking for something like this to sponsor and when Miller-Tooley presented the opportunity they jumped on it.

“A part of what we do is everywhere we go, we try to leave a part of our footprint,” he said. “Of course we want to sponsor the Bahamas Bowl, but like any community we invest in, we truly invest, so we will be working with the local officials here to see what potential opportunities we can assist with in the community and not just the ball game.”

Conference USA was represented by assistant commissioner Tre Stallings, who claimed that they are looking forward to being a part of the game since its inception against teams from the Mid-American Conference.

“All of our teams look forward to coming down here during the end of the year,” he said.

“This is really sweet. This kicks off the ESPN bowls, so they look forward to staging the game here. So the Bahamas Bowl is important to ESPN and we look forward to them continuing the tradition of the tournament.”

Stallings, who previously served as the assistant director of enforcement in the NCAA office, said at the beginning of the season, Conference USA layed the ground work for the next team that will end up representing the conference in the Bahamas Bowl. However, he said they try not to get the same travel again.

“More importantly, we are trying to get everybody to come down here because it’s such a special place,” he said. We just look at who’s been where and we try to make our decision on who gets to go after that.”

When the players arrive here in December, they will be staying at Atlantis resort on Paradise Island.

Vaughn Roberts, who will lead Atlantis’ government affairs initiatives at the strategic and operational level, said they are delighted to be back as the host for the teams.

“Atlantis, with its world-class hospitality, rich cultural exchanges and remarkable natural resources, is a unique host destination resort for sports and travel tourism,” Roberts said.

“Our resort is the ultimate sports playground and is evolving as is the Bahamas.”

Representing the Ministry of Tourism, permanent secretary Reginald Saunders said the Bahamas is proud to host the longest running eighth edition of the Hometown Leaders Bahamas Bowl.

“Please note that game day, which is now a Bahamian tradition, will take place on Friday, December 16 at 11:30am at this beautiful Thomas A Robinson Stadium between Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference,” Saunders said.

“I would like to thank the sponsors, who have joined hands with the Ministry of Tourism, Investment and Aviation, to bring the excitement of college football to the islands of the Bahamas.”

Saunders thanked the organiers for doing a tremendous job each year in staging the event.

HomeTown Leaders for coming on board as the new title sponsors, Atlantis for being the host of the teams and ESPN for producing the courage from the backdrop of the Bahamas to the rest of the world in their live coverage of the game.

“The timing of the Hometown Lenders Bahamas Bowl is great,” he said.

“It will take place just prior to the Christmas rush on Friday, December 16.

“Let’s keep in mind that the players are accustomed to playing in front of 30-40,000 fans, so we are encouraging everybody in Nassau and Paradise Island to come out and fill the stadium on game day.”

And Quinton Brennen, the general manager of the National Sports Authority, welcomed the visitors back to the Bahamas and he promised that they can look forward to playing in an environment that could be compared to any venue that hosts the other bowl games.

“The Sports in Paradise programme that we have going on with the Ministry of Tourism is something that we look forward to staging,” Brennen said.

“So let’s play football,” he added.