TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — When you hear the word “Gasparilla,” you may think of pirates or pirate invasions. But on Friday, think football.
The Gasparilla Bowl will be at Raymond James Stadium today.
The stadium can seat around 65,000 fans and staff are expecting quite a large turnout for the Bowl game.
“We’ve been planning all year for this moment. You know, Tulane, UF, the showdown is here,” said Katie Kicklighter, Sr. Director of Event Development Institute.
The Florida Gators will be taking on Tulane Green Wave and players, coaches, fans, and those behind the scenes are ready for kickoff.
Organizers for Gasparilla Bowl are expecting thousands of people.
“We should have a full lower bowl; we’re going to be about 40,000. Tickets are selling well, we’ve got a few tickets left, so if you want to still want to come to the game, there’s an opportunity,” said Scott Glaser, the Executive Director of the Gasparilla Bowl.
There have been activities leading up to the game all week and Friday is no exception, there will be a fan invasion taking place.
“We’re going to have a ton of activities for fans to participate in pre-game, you can join us from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the South Lot at Raymond James Stadium. We will be kicking things off with pirates, beads, music,” Kicklighter said.
The Gators and Green Wave are drawing a lot of fans to the Bay Area. The Bowl has even incorporated a lot of Tampa Bay to help appeal to the area.
“We lean into local, we’re the Gasparilla Bowl and everybody in Tampa Bay knows what Gasparilla is all about. So, we’ve got a big pirate theme, some pretty cool end zone logos this year, and some designs. It’s just a way to get the local community to lean into what we’re all excited about,” Glaser said.
If you cannot make the game, you can still be involved, even from your couch.
“We have a game thread for every game that goes on in college football, you can participate in that game thread and put comments [and] observations. Then, we’re taking the best of those and putting them on the video board in the 4th quarter,” said Bobak Ha’Eri, with Reddit.
Outside organizations, like Reddit, have been raising money to give back to the Tampa Bay community.
“We asked our users, our members, to donate to help support what Gasparilla Bowl Gives Back does, and we raised $10,000. So, we’re going to be giving $2,000 to each of the five charities,” Ha’Eri said.
While everyone anxiously awaits who will be taking home the trophy, Raymond James is ready for the fans.
“I keep telling people, if you need a doctor’s note, I’ll sign it for you to get out of work today. So, come on over to RayJay,” Glaser said.
The fan invasion will be from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and kickoff will be at 3:30 p.m.
