NAIA national title football game to be played this season in Texas
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) recently announced that it will play its national championship game this December in Fort Worth. It will take place on Dec. 20 at the Crowley ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium, which opened in 2022.
Among the stadium's tenants is the Texas Wesleyan University football program, which competes in the NAIA. Another team that calls the Crowley ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium home is North Crowley High School, which won the UIL 6A Division I state championship last season, going a perfect 16-0.
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'We couldn't be more excited to bring the NAIA Football National Championship to the Dallas-Fort Worth 'Metroplex,'' said Austin Bennett, NAIA Vice President of Championships, in a news release. 'Crowley ISD Stadium is a premier venue, allowing us to deliver a first-class championship experience to our incredible student-athletes.
'Football fans in Texas are engaged and really know the game, and we can't wait to showcase the very best of NAIA football in this vibrant community.'
This season's NAIA title game will be the 70th edition. The NAIA will play postseason games on Nov. 22 and 29, as well as Dec. 6 and 13, all at campus sites, before the championship game on Dec. 20.
The selection of Fort Worth is the latest college football championship game to be played in the 'Metroplex.' Since 2010, the NCAA Division I Football Championship, also known as the Football Championship Subdivision title game, has been played at Toyota Stadium in the northern suburb of Frisco, though starting in 2026, the game will be moved to Nashville, Tenn.
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Also, the NCAA Division II championship game is played in another northern 'Metroplex' suburb, McKinney, with the game at McKinney ISD Stadium, which has been the title location since 2018.
Last season's NCAA Division III title game took place in Houston at Shell Energy Stadium, but this season's championship contest takes place in Canton, Ohio.
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