From Frisco to Music City: The NCAA FCS Championship comes to Nashville
REED partnered with the NCAA, the Ohio Valley Conference and the Nashville Sports Council (NSC) to develop and execute a media relations plan for the 2026 championship, providing the local community with education and background on the championship’s history, while positioning the NCAA FCS Championship as a premier college football bowl game and holiday-season destination event. This was the first of a two-year commitment in Nashville, with a goal of securing a long-term relocation of the game.
REED developed and executed a media relations plan, including researching and building target outreach lists in Nashville and the participating team’s markets, drafting press releases around team selection, post-game and economic impact and coordinating media interviews for the Nashville Sports Council’s CEO.
INSIGHT:
Nashvillians love an event. Whether it’s a community festival, a concert or a major sporting event, the people of Middle Tennessee will flock to it! Nashville is also home to many transplants, with an average of 75 people moving to the area each day. The likelihood that fans of any given team live in Nashville is high, so regardless of which teams are participating in the championship, we were confident there would be local fans and general football fanatics interested in attending the inaugural game.
STRATEGY:
Due to this being a new game for the city, REED prioritized educating locals and visitors about what the FCS Championship was and why it would be a notable event among the other activations happening around the holiday season. By showcasing it as another opportunity to bring a high-ranking sporting event to Nashville, we hoped to establish the Championship as a must-attend game in Music City.
ACTIVATION:
REED began by developing a targeted local media list of both sports and business reporters to highlight the noteworthy relocation and potential economic impact the championship could have on the city. From the team announcement of Illinois State University and Montana State University through game day, we facilitated interviews with both local and regional media for Scott Ramsey, CEO and president of Nashville Sports Council. Finally, we worked with the NSC team to announce the direct economic impact that the game had on the city, bringing awareness to the $31.3 million in added revenue to Music City.
RESULTS:
Due to the collaborative efforts of REED, NCAA, the Ohio Valley Conference, ESPN and other event sponsors, the 2026 FCS Championship drew 24,105 attendees and averaged 2.3 million viewers on ESPN, making it the third-largest FCS championship audience ever.
REED’s Contracted Goals:
- 3-5 media placements
Over the project’s duration, REED garnered 43 pieces of media coverage, reaching over 115 million people.