Salem, Va. officials excited about CIAA football championship

Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia will host the 2016 Football Championship on Nov. 12, 2016.

SALEM, Virginia -- The city of Salem, Va., will put its best foot forward next month as it plays host to the CIAA championship football game for the first time.

Salem Football Stadium, which can seat just over 7,000 fans, will be the site of the championship game after the conference moved it from the state of North Carolina because of the controversy around House Bill 2.

“This is found money,” said Carey Harveycutter, who works for the city of Salem tourism department. “Who would have thought that we would be hosting the CIAA championship game, but we’re excited about it.”

Harveycutter said the CIAA called city officials to inquire about the date of Nov. 12 and if there was a chance the stadium could hold the championship.

“We, obviously, were interested because we are well aware of the CIAA and its history in football,” Harveycutter said.

Harveycutter said attendance figures he’s seen in past games were a good sign. He also said Winston-Salem State, which has been in the CIAA championship game the last five years, has a reputation of its fans travelling well.



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