JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nearly every Georgia-Florida game since 1933 has been played in the River City, but there's a possibility the longstanding tradition could come to an end because the city's contract is up in 2016.
Fans on both sides who were in town Friday said the atmosphere in Jacksonville is irreplaceable when it comes to the border rivalry.
"It's fun. I really like it a lot," Bulldogs fan Linie Strickland said.
"If they have it anywhere in Georgia, there is really no place to park, no place like this in Athens, just nowhere to park, and Atlanta is too busy," Gators fan Shelton Goodwin said.
The city of Jacksonville said fans shouldn't worry about future contract negotiations though. It wants the big rivalry game to stay at EverBank Field as well.
"I will tell you this: Mayor (Alvin) Brown and our team are fully committed to keeping this event in Jacksonville forever," said city sports and entertainment officer Dave Herrell.
The games and fans equals big bucks. The weekend is supposed to bring in more than $30 million to Jacksonville this year.
The teams' current contract with Jacksonville runs through 2016. The Bulldogs and Gators each make about $1.7 million annually from the game. There's plenty of incentive to stay put.
"Certainly it impacts Jacksonville, it definitively impacts our downtown, our sports complex," Herrell said.
The edge EverBank Field has is the 82,000 seats offered. The New Atlanta Stadium's seating capacity will be about 65,000, expandable to 75,000.
So if the game were played there, fans who have been coming for years may not have the opportunity to attend.
EverBank Field has even more to offer now with its new scoreboards, restaurants and restrooms.
Negotiations for another 10-year contract will begin in the spring.Â