East-West Shrine Game moves to Tropicana Field

The legendary East-West Shrine Game® is moving to St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field on January 21, 2012. The game will be televised live by NFL Network.

“Making the move to the Tampa Bay area is very important to us,” said Harold Richardson, Executive Director, East-West Shrine Game, “This community supports Shriners Hospitals for Children — Tampa and is home to Shriners International Headquarters. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to play our game here.”

Most recently held in Orlando, the annual East-West Shrine Game, originated in 1925, and is the longest-running college all-star football game in the country featuring some of the highest-rated NFL draft prospects.

Since the inception, 62 East-West Shrine Game alumni have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and 246 are currently active on NFL rosters. At the East-West Shrine Game, NFL scouts and coaches have an opportunity to assess the future stars of the National Football League.

It has emerged as a showcase for up and coming NFL talents, but more importantly, the players come together for the beneficiary of the event, Shriners Hospitals for Children. As part of their experience, players and coaches visit Shriners Hospitals for Children — Tampa, where they get to spend time interacting with the kids and developing a philanthropic relationship with Shriners Hospitals for Children that will hopefully endure throughout their careers.

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.