Peach Bowl, Inc. and Aflac, a leading provider of health supplemental insurance in the U.S., today announced a three-year partnership that will make the Georgia-based insurance provider title sponsor of its annual college football kickoff game in Atlanta.

The Kickoff Game is the nation’s longest running neutral-site game on opening weekend and has defined the start of the college football season since its creation in 2008. The game has regularly hosted the nation’s top teams and has drawn 1.3 million fans and 98.8 million television viewers; it also has distributed $114 million in team payouts and created an additional $549.3 million in economic impact.

This year’s Aflac Kickoff Game will be played Sept. 1 and features the Atlantic Coast Conference opener between Louisville and Georgia Tech in prime time at 7:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN. Future Aflac Kickoff Games are also scheduled to include Clemson vs. Georgia in 2024, followed by Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina and Syracuse vs. Tennessee in 2025. All games will be played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better partner than Aflac for our annual Kickoff Games over Labor Day weekend,” said Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President Gary Stokan. “Whether it’s Aflac’s long-standing involvement with collegiate athletics or our shared history and passion for charitable giving, we feel like this is a perfectly aligned partnership between two organizations who want to leverage college football to make a positive impact in our community.”

The new sponsorship will add to Aflac’s existing college sports portfolio that already features an extensive list of initiatives spanning multiple sports. Through its annual ad spots, Aflac has also engaged in multi-year partnerships with University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban and University of Colorado head football coach Deion “Prime” Sanders. Most recently, Aflac partnered with two new “G.O.A.Ts” University of South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and former Duke University head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. 

“Aflac is proud to serve as title sponsor of the Kickoff Game Sept. 1, as we commence Childhood Cancer and Sickle Cell Awareness months to showcase the incredible work done every day at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta,” said Virgil Miller, president, Aflac U.S. “We pioneered the introduction of cancer insurance in 1957 and remain committed to helping support our policyholders when they need us most, making a tangible difference in the communities we serve.”

This new agreement brings together two Georgia-based companies who are completely mission-aligned in support of their community through sports.

Both Peach Bowl, Inc. and Aflac have strong ties in their communities, particularly around their involvement with the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Aflac’s commitment to children with cancer and blood disorders spans nearly three decades Since 1995, Aflac independent sales agents, employees and The Aflac Foundation, Incorporated, have donated more than $168 million to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, making the company the pediatric hospital’s largest corporate supporter.

As college football’s most charitable bowl organization, Peach Bowl, Inc. has also been heavily committed to supporting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. In 2019, Peach Bowl, Inc. announced a historic $20 million gift to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s to establish the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund, which is hyper focused on funding clinical drug trials for the most promising new drugs and treatments for children fighting cancer. Peach Bowl, Inc. also annually partners with Children’s to raise additional dollars through its Peach Bowl Touchdowns for Children’s campaign, where fans can pledge money for each touchdown their favorite team scores during the regular season. Now in its sixth season, the campaign has raised nearly $2.4 million for patients, including $1.2 million in direct donations from Peach Bowl, Inc.

Chick-fil-A, Inc. who has been the title sponsor of the Kickoff Game since the game’s creation in 2008, will continue their strong support of college football through title sponsorship of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. 

Additional details on how fans will be able to engage with the Aflac brand in new and exciting ways at future Aflac Kickoff Games will be announced in the lead-up to the game.