12/07/2022
The DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau (DCCVB) and IHSA Destination DeKalb Host Committee extends its congratulations to the Bloomington-Normal community and Illinois State University on being awarded the bid to host the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Football Championships for 2023-2027. The bid submitted by IHSA Destination DeKalb was a competitive one, and we appreciate the opportunity provided by the IHSA to compete to host the State Football Championship games in DeKalb County at Northern Illinois University’s Huskie Stadium.
DeKalb County and NIU has a long and strong relationship with the IHSA. Along with hosting the IHSA State Football Championships on five occasions (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021), the community has hosted IHSA Girls and Boys Super-Sectional basketball games for decades, and DeKalb High School is scheduled to host the Girls State Badminton Championships for the next three years (2023-2025). DeKalb County looks forward to our continued partnership with the IHSA to facilitate the best possible experience for student-athletes, coaches, schools, and fans participating and supporting teams engaged in state tournament competition.
DeKalb County is a key destination for sports tournaments, events, and conferences. For over 20 years, DeKalb has hosted the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) State Wrestling Finals at NIU Convocation Center. The state wrestling finals attract student-athletes, teams, and fans from across the state of Illinois to our local community, and the event rivals the IHSA State Football Championships in hotel stays and economic impact on the area.
The Convocation Center is also a preferred venue for some of the top youth cheerleading and dance competitions in the Midwest. The facility currently hosts four major cheer and dance competitions a year, and the most recent event held in early December attracted 52,000 people to the Convocation Center over four days. In Spring 2023, the Convocation Center will host 21 high school graduation ceremonies in addition to several NIU commencement exercises.
The DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau and its event facility partners remain committed to attracting sports tournaments, events, conferences, and entertainment opportunities to the area. We wish to thank our community stakeholders, sponsors, event staff, and many volunteers for their efforts in ensuring event participants, families, and fans have a great experience when traveling to DeKalb County. We look forward to welcoming new and returning visitors to Destination DeKalb for years to come.
