ATHENS — The agreement hasn’t been finalized, but a draft for a new contract between Georgia and Florida and the city of Jacksonville, Fla., is in place, and it will mean a handful of new perks for the schools.
A year ago, debate raged about whether the annual game between the two SEC East rivals should remain in Jacksonville on a full-time basis, and at the crux of the discussion for Georgia was the financial burden of travel for the game.
According to the new agreement, which was obtained by The Telegraph through an open-records request, the city of Jacksonville has agreed to provide up to $300,000 in additional travel reimbursements for the 2010 season.
In addition to the $50,000 payout both Georgia and Florida have received in past seasons to offset travel, lodging and game-day expenses, Jacksonville will pay for Georgia to charter three 50-passenger jets to allow the team to travel from Athens each year.
The air travel reimbursement allowance will increase by 10 percent in each subsequent year of the agreement, which is scheduled to run through December 2016.
In addition to the new travel provisions, the current draft of the agreement also covers changes to the marketing allowances for the two schools, including the ability to control naming rights for the game.
The draft provides the schools with the rights to “to exercise and exploit all rights for promotion, marketing, sponsorships, merchandising and ancillary events for each Designated Game, including without limitation the rights to: enter into a title sponsorship for the Designated Game.” If naming rights were to be sold, the schools would split revenues evenly, according to the draft.
The two teams have played their annual game in Jacksonville every year since 1933, with the exception of a two-year on-campus series in 1994 and 1995 while the stadium was undergoing renovations.
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