The University of Pennsylvania will serve as the institutional host for the 2005 and 2006 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Final Four at Lincoln Financial Field, the new home of the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 2005 event will be the first NCAA championship that the Linc has hosted since its opening in 2003.
The games will be hosted by Penn in conjunction with the Philadelphia Lacrosse Association, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia Sports Congress.
After a season in which the Penn men's lacrosse team earned its first playoff bid since 1989, the announcement comes as a pleasant surprise.
Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky hopes that the location of next year's final four provides some added incentive for the team to repeat, and even improve upon its achievements in the postseason last year.
"To know that we are host school for the NCAA tournament next year, I would hope that it provides major incentive for the team to want to be one of those four teams competing in the national spotlight," Bilsky said.
Penn is no stranger to the event, as it hosted the event in 1973 and 1992 at Franklin Field.
Philadelphia Mayor John Street was pleased upon hearing of the planned events.
"I am delighted that the NCAA has selected Philadelphia to host this major championship," Street said in a press release.
"It further demonstrates that Philadelphia is a world-class city with world-class facilities, and we look forward to welcoming lacrosse fans from around the country next year."
The games also will receive significant TV coverage. Both semifinal games are covered on ESPN2, while the final is shown on ESPN.
This year's championships, held at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, drew a record 177,523 fans.
It is predicted that the economic impact of the lacrosse final four to the city of Philadelphia could reach $25 million.
The 2005 Men's Lacrosse Championships will be held from May 28-30, while the 2006 championships will be held from May 27-29.
"Lacrosse is an important sport in this area," Bilsky said. "With our program doing what it did this season, and with us hosting the national championship next year, we've got really good timing with all this.
"This will be very beneficial to our entire athletic program."
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