Staying put: Georgia votes on to keep annual game with Florida at traditional site

Georgia to keep playing Florida in Jacksonville

ATHENS, Ga. — The annual Georgia-Florida football game will be staying in Jacksonville.

The Georgia athletic board endorsed a new six-year contract Wednesday that would keep the game in the northeast Florida city through 2016. Athletic director Damon Evans can now finalize negotiations with the city of Jacksonville and Florida officials, likely nothing more than a formality.

Evans cited the game’s rich tradition and a guarantee by CBS to televise it every year at 3:30 p.m. in proposing a new contract. The current deal ends after the 2010 game, and there was speculation Georgia might want to play the Gators at Sanford Stadium in alternating years instead of 84,000-seat Jacksonville Municipal Stadium every season.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — The annual Georgia-Florida football game will be staying in Jacksonville.

The Georgia athletic board approved a new six-year contract Wednesday that would keep the game in the northeast Florida city through 2016. Athletic director Damon Evans proposed the new deal, citing the game’s rich tradition and a guarantee by CBS to televise the game every year at 3:30 p.m.

The current deal ends after the 2010 game, and there was speculation Georgia might want to play the Gators at Sanford Stadium in alternating years instead of 84,000-seat Jacksonville Municipal Stadium every season.

Also, officials in Atlanta had proposed playing the game at the Georgia Dome — much closer to Georgia’s Athens campus — at least once every four years.