Aflac expands college sports portfolio by partnering with Peach Bowl, Inc. on nation's longest-running kickoff game

ATLANTA, July 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Peach Bowl, Inc. and Aflac, a leading provider of health supplemental insurance in the U.S., today announced a three-year partnership that will make the Georgia-based insurance provider title sponsor of its annual college football kickoff game in Atlanta.

The Kickoff Game is the nation's longest running neutral-site game on opening weekend and has defined the start of the college football season since its creation in 2008. The game has regularly hosted the nation's top teams and has drawn 1.3 million fans and 98.8 million television viewers; it also has distributed $114 million in team payouts and created an additional $549.3 million in economic impact.

This year's Aflac Kickoff Game will be played Sept. 1 and features the Atlantic Coast Conference opener between Louisville and Georgia Tech in prime time at 7:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN. Future Aflac Kickoff Games are also scheduled to include Clemson vs. Georgia in 2024, followed by Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina and Syracuse vs. Tennessee in 2025. All games will be played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

"We couldn't have asked for a better partner than Aflac for our annual Kickoff Games over Labor Day weekend," said Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President Gary Stokan. "Whether it's Aflac's long-standing involvement with collegiate athletics or our shared history and passion for charitable giving, we feel like this is a perfectly aligned partnership between two organizations who want to leverage college football to make a positive impact in our community."

The new sponsorship will add to Aflac's existing college sports portfolio that already features an extensive list of initiatives spanning multiple sports. Through its annual ad spots, Aflac has also engaged in multi-year partnerships with University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban and University of Colorado head football coach Deion "Prime" Sanders. Most recently, Aflac partnered with two new "G.O.A.Ts" University of South Carolina head women's basketball coach Dawn Staley and former Duke University head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski.

"Aflac is proud to serve as title sponsor of the Kickoff Game Sept. 1, as we commence Childhood Cancer and Sickle Cell Awareness months to showcase the incredible work done every day at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta," said Virgil Miller, president, Aflac U.S. "We pioneered the introduction of cancer insurance in 1957 and remain committed to helping support our policyholders when they need us most, making a tangible difference in the communities we serve."

This new agreement brings together two Georgia-based companies who are completely mission-aligned in support of their community through sports.

Both Peach Bowl, Inc. and Aflac have strong ties in their communities, particularly around their involvement with the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Aflac's commitment to children with cancer and blood disorders spans nearly three decades Since 1995, Aflac independent sales agents, employees and The Aflac Foundation, Incorporated, have donated more than $168 million to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, making the company the pediatric hospital's largest corporate supporter.

As college football's most charitable bowl organization, Peach Bowl, Inc. has also been heavily committed to supporting Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. In 2019, Peach Bowl, Inc. announced a historic $20 million gift to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's to establish the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund, which is hyper focused on funding clinical drug trials for the most promising new drugs and treatments for children fighting cancer. Peach Bowl, Inc. also annually partners with Children's to raise additional dollars through its Peach Bowl Touchdowns for Children's campaign, where fans can pledge money for each touchdown their favorite team scores during the regular season. Now in its sixth season, the campaign has raised nearly $2.4 million for patients, including $1.2 million in direct donations from Peach Bowl, Inc.

Chick-fil-A, Inc. who has been the title sponsor of the Kickoff Game since the game's creation in 2008, will continue their strong support of college football through title sponsorship of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Additional details on how fans will be able to engage with the Aflac brand in new and exciting ways at future Aflac Kickoff Games will be announced in the lead-up to the game.

About Peach Bowl, Inc.:Peach Bowl, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization that operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Aflac Kickoff Game, the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, and manages The Dodd Trophy national coach of the year award presented by PNC. It is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and is recognized as college football's most charitable bowl organization, having donated more than $61.3 million to organizations in need since 2002. Visit Chick-fil-APeachBowl.com for more information.

Peach Bowl, Inc Events:

The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is one of the New Year's Six bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff including a CFP Semifinal every third year and top-ranked teams from around the country in the other two years of each three-year cycle. Over its 55 years, the game has drawn 3.2 million fans in attendance, a total television audience of 232 million viewers on ESPN, delivered $233.1 million in team payouts, and has created $840 million in direct economic impact for Atlanta and Georgia.

OurKickoff Game is the nation's longest-running kickoff game and has reshaped the opening weekend in college football. Over 19 games since 2008, the game has regularly hosted the nation's top teams and has drawn 1.26 million fans, 98.8 million television viewers, distributed $114 million in team payouts and created an additional $549.3 million in economic impact.

The Southern CompanyPeach Bowl Challenge is the nation's premier charity golf tournament featuring top current and former college football coaches. Hosted at the beautiful Reynolds Lake Oconee resort outside Atlanta each spring, the event has generated $9.3 million for the various foundations and charities supported by its coaches.

The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC is college football's most coveted national coaching award. Named for legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, The Dodd Trophy annually honors the FBS football coach whose program represents three pillars of success: scholarship, leadership and integrity.

ABOUT AFLAC INCORPORATEDAflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL), a Fortune 500 company, has helped provide financial protection and peace of mind for more than 67 years to millions of policyholders and customers through its subsidiaries in the U.S. and Japan. In the U.S., Aflac is the No. 1 provider of supplemental health insurance products.1 In Japan, Aflac Life Insurance Japan is the leading provider of cancer and medical insurance policies in force. In 2021, the company became a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). In 2022, the company was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for the ninth year, the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere for the 17th consecutive year, Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies for the 22nd time and Bloomberg's Gender-Equality Index for the fourth consecutive year. To find out how to get help with expenses health insurance doesn't cover, get to know us at aflac.com or aflac.com/espanol. Investors may learn more about Aflac Incorporated and its commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainability at investors.aflac.com under "Sustainability."

1 LIMRA 2021 US Supplemental Health Insurance Total Market Report 

Aflac | Aflac New York | WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999

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SOURCE Peach Bowl, Inc.