Organizers in a rush

Preparations for the EagleBank Bowl have entered the red zone.

Organizers of the District’s first bowl game are scrambling to sell tickets, nail down sponsorships and spruce up an aging stadium in time for the Dec. 20 kickoff.

Whether the bowl will become a lasting tradition remains to be seen. Despite a weak economy, the bowl likely will draw more than 30,000 fans, and officials have secured sponsorships from a wide mix of national and local companies, including a six-figure deal with defense contractor Northrop Grumman.

“I’m very optimistic that we’re going to exceed our expectations,” said Bob Treseler, the EagleBank Bowl’s director of corporate development and sponsorships. “We’ve been pushing and pushing and pushing, and we’ve really had some movement these last two weeks.”

For a time, things were looking less positive for the bowl. Sponsorships were slow to come, and it was unclear whether the ACC would produce an opponent for Navy, which agreed to play last month. But the ACC came through with 10 bowl-eligible schools. Miami, North Carolina, N.C. State, Clemson and Maryland are all possible opponents for Navy; a decision will come Sunday.

“I’m thrilled to know that we have an ACC team,” said Steve Beck, the bowl’s executive director. “It’s going to be great for the game, great for the community, great for ticket sales - no matter who Navy’s opponent is. We expect to have a huge week this week, and after we name the team, it’s going to be even more positive for us, even in this down economy.”

The bowl committee has sold about 22,000 tickets, much of that coming from Navy, which promised to buy 30,000 tickets. The ACC guaranteed 3,000 tickets but could sell more depending on which team is selected. A Maryland-Navy game likely would sell out; officials said North Carolina and N.C. State are among the schools close enough that fans would not need to fly, an important consideration given the struggling economy.

“If you look at the fact that we don’t even know who our second team is going to be yet and the stadium is close to half-filled, I think we’ll get a good rush from Navy and our ACC team,” bowl co-founder Sean Metcalf said. “There will be a nice rush over the next two weeks.”

The EagleBank Bowl has been under time constraints from the beginning. The NCAA approved the bowl in April; organizers announced the title sponsorship with EagleBank in September. Beck and other staff members began work less than two months ago.

“I’ve been working seven days a week and all kinds of crazy hours day and night just to stay on top of what’s demanded of me, but we feel we’re in great shape,” Beck said. “We have a great team, and everyone’s fulfilling their roles, and we’re going to pull off a great event here for the city.”

Aside from EagleBank and Northrop Grumman, the bowl has corporate support from Allstate, Ameritel, Yuengling, Geico, Marriott and Navy Federal Credit Union, among others. Only Allstate and EagleBank, however, agreed to multiyear sponsorships. Treseler said he expects to spend most of the next three weeks focusing on gaining support from local companies and then immediately will begin working to secure sponsorships for the 2009 bowl.

Meanwhile, the bowl has secured several charitable partners, including the Wounded EOD Warriors Foundation, DC Public Education Fund and Peaceoholics, and also will set aside money for scholarships for both men’s and women’s sports. The National Kidney Foundation also will receive funds.

Another key to the event’s success will be the performance of RFK Stadium, which was the longtime home of the Redskins but last played host to a football game in November 2001, when Salisbury played Frostburg State. The Nationals played baseball there from 2005 to 2007, and it remains home of D.C. United and hosts other soccer events.

“This puts us on a national map, more than anything,” said Troy Scott, the director of facilities and event operations for the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, which operates RFK and is a primary bowl sponsor. “This puts us out on a national television audience level with probably higher ratings than what other events get. That’s what our goal is: We are trying to expand and to bring more events here.”

Bowl officials said many fans have fond memories of watching Redskins games at the 47-year-old facility.

“RFK’s great. I’m an old Redskins RFK fan,” Beck said. “I went there for years, and there’s no place like it for football. It’s exciting to be bringing football back to RFK, and there’s no place like it when those stands are rocking.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to bring that feeling back to the fans at the EagleBank Bowl.”