As first reported by HBCU Gameday on August 12, the uncertainty surrounding the Georgia Soccer Traditional has lastly ended. The much-anticipated matchup between Florida A&M College (FAMU) and Mississippi Valley State College will not happen at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Organizers formally scrapped the Atlanta sport on September 29. Now, the competition has a brand new date and a brand new location.
Early indicators of hassle
The Georgia Soccer Traditional aimed to revive the vitality of the Atlanta Soccer Traditional (AFC), a serious HBCU Traditional from 1989 to 2014. The 100 Black Males of Atlanta staged the AFC on the outdated Georgia Dome, drawing large crowds and making it a staple of the HBCU soccer calendar. FAMU’s robust Atlanta fan base, paired with opponents like Southern College and Tennessee State, turned the sport right into a fall spectacle.
The 2003 FAMU–TSU matchup drew 70,185 followers. In 2002 and 2004, the occasion drew 67,000 followers yearly, with attendance figures rivaling some bowl video games.
In August, John Grant, ESPN Director of Particular Occasions and former AFC organizer, defined to HBCU Gameday that the panorama has modified. Grant, who now leads the MEAC–SWAC Problem and Celebration Bowl, known as reviving a large-scale Atlanta HBCU traditional “monumental, if not unimaginable.” He pointed to advertising and marketing and logistical challenges that didn’t exist in the course of the AFC’s peak.
Announcement and silence
Momentum constructed when FAMU Athletic Director Angela Suggs introduced in the course of the alumni affiliation assembly that the 2025 sport would transfer from Rice–Totten Stadium in Itta Bena to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. MVSU Athletics adopted with a press release:
“Mississippi Valley State College Athletics is proud to announce that our 2025 soccer conflict with FAMU, initially scheduled to be performed at Rice–Totten Stadium in Itta Bena, will now happen at Atlanta’s iconic Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, October 4, 2025.”
After that announcement, communication stalled. With lower than 60 days earlier than kickoff, there have been no ads, no tickets on sale by means of Ticketmaster, FAMU, or MVSU, and no public occasion particulars.
When HBCU Gameday pressed for solutions, one promoter demanded a retraction. The reporting crew held its floor, stating that the occasion was “in limbo” with out ticket availability. We additionally pledged to comply with up when official particulars surfaced.
Déjà vu in Tampa
In the meantime, an analogous scenario unfolded in Tampa. The proposed Tampa Soccer Traditional, that includes Bethune–Cookman and Southern, was slated for October 20. B-CU Athletic Director Reggie Theus finally withdrew this system after organizers missed key deadlines. He confused that he wouldn’t compromise the fan or student-athlete expertise with out correct infrastructure.
New plan: again to MVSU
The sport now has a brand new plan. It should return to Mississippi Valley State’s residence subject, with kickoff scheduled for Saturday, November 29, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. The later date gives each packages with a transparent path ahead after weeks of uncertainty.
FAMU points joint assertion
FAMU and MVSU launched a joint assertion to make clear the brand new association:
“The SWAC contest on October 4, 2025, a MVSU residence sport, is not going to be performed at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. As Mississippi Valley State is the designated residence crew, the choice has been made to cancel the sport in Atlanta and reschedule to Rice–Totten Stadium in Itta Bena, Mississippi, on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at 2 p.m.
We remorse the influence that this sudden change may have on our followers, and we are going to make each effort to offer a top quality game-day expertise in the course of the rescheduled date of competitors. … MVSU and FAMU stay dedicated to excellence on and off the sector … Info concerning tickets can be forthcoming on every faculty’s respective athletics web sites.”
The assertion frames the transfer as a redirection, not a cancellation. It reaffirms each universities’ dedication to delivering a respectable HBCU matchup and guarantees additional ticket data quickly.
The Massive Image
This pivot highlights a bigger actuality: grand venue ambitions create pleasure, however sustainability issues extra. The Georgia Traditional’s collapse at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a cautionary story. The advertising and marketing assets and logistical capability wanted to assist an HBCU traditional of that scale are tougher to drag off right this moment than they had been within the early 2000s.
Nonetheless, the sport lives on—again on acquainted floor and firmer footing. The matchup will now be performed on November 29 at 2 p.m. in Itta Bena, Mississippi, giving followers a brand new date to circle on their calendars.
