By Joshua Huff, sports editor
BIRMINGHAM — The Magic City will once again play host to Alabama high school football championship games come 2021.
The AHSAA announced on Wednesday that the Super 7 State High School Football Championships will make its way to Protective Stadium on Dec. 1-3, 2021. This ushers in a contract that will bring seven championship games to Birmingham on a three-year rotation with Auburn University’s Jordan-Hare Stadium and the University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Jordan-Hare Stadium will host in 2022, as well as 2026, 2028 and 2032, while Bryant-Denny Stadium will host in 2023, 2025, 2029 and 2031. Birmingham will host in 2021, 2024, 2027 and 2030.
“We are pleased to see the AHSAA Super 7 return to the city where it began more than 20 years ago,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a press release. “The Super 7 showcases the best of high school athletics in Alabama, and Birmingham is excited to be a host city once again. As a progressive city focused on building a better future for our young people, we look forward to working closely with the AHSAA to celebrate championship-caliber high school sports for years to come.”
The 2021 championships will mark the return of the title games to Birmingham for the first time since 2008. Birmingham last hosted at historic Legion Field, where the championships were played from 1996 – 2008.
The city and the Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau will pay a combined $200,000 each year for the right to host the games.
The $174 million Protective Stadium will seat 45,000 and is set to open fall of 2021.
