More than 15,000 fans of the North Dakota State University Bison and James Madison University Dukes are expected in Frisco on Jan. 11 for the NCAA Division I Football Championship at Toyota Stadium. Officials with the Frisco Chamber of Commerce said the regional economic impact of the game has been estimated at $9.5 million.

Chamber President and CEO Tony Felker said that kind of figure is “huge” for the region.

“However, one of the most important, and perhaps often overlooked, aspects of this game is the marketing of Frisco,” Felker said via email. “Yes, each year fans travel to Frisco primarily from two regions of the country and see the quality of life and the growing economy, but the bigger picture is the ability to display Frisco to the entire rest of the country through the national broadcast.”

This year’s game is a rematch of the 2017 season championship and will be the third time the James Madison team—which wears purple and gold—has played in the Division I title game in Frisco. North Dakota State, on the other hand, is the reigning Division I champion, and this will be the eighth time the Bison—who wear green and yellow—have been in Frisco for the title game since the championship came to the city in 2011.

“The ability to show Frisco as an attractive place to not only visit but potentially to move to and/or relocate a company to is huge,” Felker said. “All of these aspects of the game are extremely beneficial to our community.”


Josh Dill, director of sports and events for Visit Frisco, said major tourism activities like the Division I championship game greatly contribute to state and local tax revenues, which help relieve $1,650 in tax burdens from each household in Frisco.

"When people travel to Frisco, spend money and create minimal strain on our infrastructure, it lessens the tax burden for our residents," Dill said via email. "The NCAA FCS Championship game is one of our biggest events every year, with a projected $9.5M economic impact to the region. This doesn’t include the exposure Frisco receives by having this game televised nationally This year, for the first time, the game is on network TV. To put it simply, this event is good for Frisco."

Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Jan. 11 at Toyota Stadium, 9200 World Cup Way, Frisco. It will be televised on ABC.

Editor's note: A previous version of this article incorrectly listed the team colors of the teams playing in the NCAA Division I Football Championship. This article has also been updated to include a comment from Visit Frisco's Josh Dill.