Shuffling Clemson neutral site Clemson games a 'positive development'
Changes are coming to the rivalry series between South Carolina and Clemson, and head coach Mark Kingston is a fan of the revamped schedule.
The Gamecocks and Tigers’ annual neutral site game will rotate for the next four years between the minor league parks in Columbia and Greenville giving different fans a chance to go to games.
“I think it’s a positive development that we’re going to get to play here in Columbia for some of those games,” Kingston said. “I think it’s great. It’s a great series for our state that you want to continue to expose as many people to as possible.”
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The rotation will start next season with Greenville’s Fluor Field hosting games in 2019 and 2021 and Sprit Communications Park getting the Saturday game in 2020 and 2022 in Columbia.
Both teams will also host home games annually with South Carolina hosting first on even years and traveling to Clemson for the first game next season and in 2021.
Kingston said he had “very little input” in getting games moved from Greenville to Columbia, saying it was up to both schools athletic directors Ray Tanner and Dan Radakovich.
Fluor Field has hosted eight of the last nine neutral-site games in the series with Charleston being the venue in 2012. Before the Charleston was one of the primary spots the two teams would play.
Shuffling the rotation, Kingston said, would give fans in different parts of the state to make it to at least one of the games that weekend.
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“I think to move it around that neutral site game,” he said, “I think it’s good to move it around the state and have everyone get a chance to enjoy it.”
The Gamecocks usually play the Tigers the first weekend in March, but the teams schedule hasn’t been officially finished yet.
Kingston said the team already has the three other non-conference opponents scheduled for the beginning of the season but now it’s about finalizing the details around some of the Gamecocks’ midweek games this year.
He said the official schedule should be coming out over the next month.
“There’s still a couple of games that we’re just trying to tweak a little bit in terms of the location and times but it’s 99 percent done.”
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