College football fans hoping to get a gameday experience without the cost of a thousand-dollar ticket should head to the Los Angeles Convention Center for a combine of family-fun, featuring collegiate legends, autograph signings and games for adults and youth alike.
The free, family-friendly Playoff Fan Central experience will also include clinics, pep rallies and performances by the Jonas Brothers and Pitbull, taking place at the nearby Banc of California stadium.
Kicking off at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 6, the event is set to run until Sunday, Jan. 9 as college football fans ready for the upcoming championship matchup between TCU and Georgia at SoFi Stadium on Jan. 10.
The game alone is enough to delight Horned Frogs and Bulldogs around the nation, but playoff organizers have learned the importance of giving back to the communities that host the championship festivities, which is how the Fan Central experience came to fruition almost a decade ago.
“Back in the day, you just had a football game and everybody went home,” said Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff. “Well, we all learned a long time ago that you need more… Why not touch the community? Why not provide things that fans can go to if they can’t get a ticket to the game?”
The result is 200,000 square feet of hands-on experiences with former coaches, national columnists and legendary athletes like LaDainian Tomlinson. Or as Elon Werner, media coordinator for the experience, described it: “The perfect place to bring your kids to wear them out.”
Standing in front of towering sculptures and a patch of turf that will soon be packed with collegiate bands, spirit squads and children imagining game-winning touchdown scenarios, Werner said attendees will find souvenirs, opportunities to pose with the Heisman Trophy and even participate in youth clinics throughout the weekend.
“This is the best opportunity for people that don’t have the ticket for the game to come and get the full kind of college football playoff experience,” Werner said.
There’s also plenty of fun to be had by non-sports fans as well thanks to the The Extra Yard, which will raise money for the Los Angeles-area school system.
“This is like a carnival in the college sports space,” said Kathryn Schloessman, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission. “There’ll be alumni here. There’ll be autograph signings, and it’s just really a fun day… so this is where you want to be this weekend.”
Hancock added there are few sights better in sports than witnessing young children try to kick a field goal or run a 40-yard dash like their idols.
“And the operative word of the day is free,” he said, encouraging all of Los Angeles County to enjoy an “amusement park for all ages” at the L.A. Convention Center.
A full list of the weekend’s line-up can be found online at collegefootballplayoff.com/sports.