Big Ten Football Championship Game to remain in Indianapolis through 2024

Minneapolis to host 2023 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament as well as 

2024 Big Ten Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournaments

Questions & Answers — Future Big Ten Conference Marquee Event Sites

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced today that the Big Ten Football Championship Game will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis through 2024, and that the 2023 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament – as well as the 2024 Big Ten Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournaments – will be held at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

“We are thrilled to bring marquee conference events such as the Big Ten Football Championship Game and the Big Ten Basketball Tournaments to world-class cities and venues within the conference footprint,” said Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren. “Indianapolis and Minneapolis each have a strong history and tradition of hosting some of the world’s premier events in cities that feature an exceptional base of Big Ten Conference alumni and fans. We look forward to creating new memories and experiences for our student-athletes, coaches, and member institutions, further expanding our fanbase, cultivating relationships with the business community, and fostering a positive and lasting impact on these cities.”

“Indiana Sports Corp and its partners are thrilled with the decision made by the Big Ten member institutions to return the Big Ten Football Championship Game in 2023 and 2024,” said Indiana Sports Corp President Ryan Vaughn. “After hosting the annual Championship Game for the past 11 years, we believe our city has delivered a top-tier experience on all levels for the student-athletes, coaches, fans, and our community. We look forward to continuing this long-standing partnership and creating community impact through this event for years to come.”

“We are proud to carry the tradition of Big Ten men’s and women’s basketball excellence to Minneapolis,” said Minnesota Sports and Events CEO Wendy Blackshaw. “After this year’s sold-out NCAA Women’s Final Four, hosting the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament in 2023, and the Big Ten men’s and women’s tournaments in 2024 will continue to fuel Minnesota’s reputation as a true basketball state. With our terrific partners, especially Target Center and its state-of-the-art venue, we can’t wait to welcome more basketball fans to our great state.”

The city of Indianapolis and Lucas Oil Stadium will be the site of the Big Ten Football Championship Game through 2024, with the venue having hosted the event since its inception in 2011. Nearly 700,000 fans have attended the Big Ten Football Championship Game, including a record 67,183 fans in 2021, which marked the third-largest football crowd in building history behind only Super Bowl XLVI and the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship. Michigan claimed its first Big Ten Football Championship Game victory in 2021 to become the fifth different school to win the contest.

The 2023 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament will mark the first time that the event has been held outside of Indianapolis since 2015, when the tournament took place in Hoffman Estates, Ill., outside Chicago. Eight different Big Ten teams have claimed the tournament title including Iowa, which won its fourth crown in 2022. More than 860,000 fans have attended the women’s tournament since 1995.

The Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament has been held in four different cities over the past six seasons, including Washington, D.C. (2017), New York City (2018), Chicago (2019), and Indianapolis (2020-22). The 2024 tournament will mark the fifth different city to host the event since the inaugural tournament in 1998. Seven Big Ten programs have won the tournament since its debut in 1998, including Iowa claiming its third title in 2022. More than 2.3 million fans have attended the event throughout its history. It was previously announced that the 2023 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held at the United Center in Chicago.

The Big Ten Conference (bigten.org) is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,800 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse since 2013.

COURTESY BIG TEN COMMUNICATIONS