Change of plans on tap for Countdown to Kickoff fan festival

For the past 10 years, the Countdown to Kickoff fan festival has been a welcomed event for Georgia football enthusiasts, an opportunity to whet their appetite for the season that lies ahead.

But not this summer.

Instead, former Bulldog Matt Stinchcomb, one of the event’s organizers, says this year the focus will be on the upcoming Dawgs for Kids auction party set for August 19 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

All proceeds will continue to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the Georgia Transplant Foundation, which have shared more than $1.5 million since the various events began 10 years ago.

Tickets are $100, according to the event’s website www.ugakickoff.com.

“There won’t be a fan day or a golf tournament because there’s just so much going on around the program over there (in Athens) from a facility standpoint,” Stinchcomb said. “So we said it will be easier, probably for everybody if we just table some of that for a year and revisit how we might be able to get it back going next year once the construction’s completed.”

While Stinchcomb regrets not being able to have Countdown to Kickoff at Georgia this year, he said the event at the College Football Hall of Fame will be special nonetheless.

“Last year the fans loved it. They had a big time with that last year, so we’ll build on that," he said. "There will be a trivia game where fans will get paired up from figures from around the program, former player, and we’ll give out some Yeti coolers or something like that. We’ll also do our auction. It’s just a different venue.”

Fans used to meeting former players at Countdown to Kickoff will still be able to do so at the Dawgs for Kids auction.

“We’ll have former players, former guys that fans will certainly remember,” Stinchcomb said. “What they got a kick out of is we’ll have a couple of big plays in Georgia football history, some iconic-type plays and we’ll sit down and hear from the players that made them.”

Stinchcomb said a good time will be had by all.

“I hope so. That’s always the hope because behind everything is we want to have fun,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for folks to get to know former players, for former players to get to know fans, but at the end of the day we’re looking forward to supporting some important causes.”