High school football championship games will remain in the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The University of Northern Iowa and the Iowa High School Athletic Association have agreed to a five-year extension that will keep the title games indoors through the 2017 season.
The UNI-Dome has hosted the state championship games since it opened in 1976. IHSAA executive director Rick Wulkow says former Athletic Director Stan Sheriff had hosting the high school playoffs as part of his dream when he proposed building the domed stadium. Wulkow says the UNI-Dome has become synonymous with an outstanding season.
“The road to the dome is something big and every high school football player’s goals. The dome hasn’t worn off, a lot of new things wear off,” Wulkow says. The UNI-Dome has also hosted the semifinals since 1998 and Wulkow says that will continue under the new agreement.
“Our football playoff advisory committee and our football coaches association really urged us back in the late 1990’s to take a look at the possibility and the feasibility of doing all of our semifinal games there as well,” Wulkow says. “It just makes it a great football
state tournament atmosphere being able to play both semifinals and championship games there.”
Wulkow says the 16,000 seat UNI-Dome is the perfect size for the title games as he says it would not be the same atmosphere in a much larger stadium.
This year’s semifinals will be November 14th through the 16th and the championship games will be November 21st and 22nd.