Imagine the University of Washington and Washington State putting aside their differences and collaborating on an event that was mutually beneficial. OK, stop laughing.
You’re right, that probably never will happen, but it is happening on a smaller scale with the state’s second-best football rivalry. For the third year in a row, Western Washington and Central Washington meet at 6 p.m. Saturday in the “Battle in Seattle” at Qwest Field.
The game was conceived a few years ago as a way of bringing one of NCAA Division II’s oldest rivalries into a larger market. Much of Western and Central’s alumni reside in the Puget Sound region between Everett and Tacoma, and the game gives the players a chance to play in a venue most will never experience again.
“It’s a huge positive, and I don’t think that’s understating it,” said Western coach Rob Smith, a former University of Washington fullback in his 17th season at the Bellingham school.
“It’s a great event not just for the players and coaches, but for the students, alumni and families of both schools and for the general fan.”
The first Battle in Seattle was a huge success, with 16,392 fans attending, a record for a non-Division I football game in the state. Attendance dropped to 11,458 fans last season when some of the novelty was gone, but it is still by far a larger crowd than either school could draw at home. The schools split the costs and revenue from the game, and each school breaks even at about 5,000 sold tickets.
There was originally some hesitation toward moving the biggest game of the year to a neutral site, but after the first year, both schools were convinced that the event was hugely viable.
“It was a huge financial risk for us the first year,” WWU athletic director Lynda Goodrich said. “We were very surprised at the response. The benefits are so great. Where else are we going to draw these crowds? We’re just not. Getting into the Puget Sound region is a real asset for both of us.”
“There are benefits to having this game in your community,” Western director of marketing Steve Brummell said. “But being able to put a team like ours and Central in an NFL stadium, it’s just such a great experience.”
And it’s an experience that the coaches use in recruiting. Realistically, most Division II players will not play beyond college, so getting a chance to play at Qwest is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
“How can you complain about the opportunity to play in this atmosphere?” Smith said.
“It’s their one chance to get the experience and get the treatment that goes along with it. Division I schools play in large stadiums, they get this treatment every week. We don’t. These kids deserve a chance to be on the big stage in an atmosphere like Qwest.”
Attendance this year could be helped by the fact that there is no other sporting event in Seattle this weekend, a fact not lost on the schools. But it’s believed that the fact the schools play each other twice a year has kept attendance down, and there’s hope that when the teams return to playing once a year, and the Battle in Seattle also becomes the Cascade Cup game, attendance could get up to the low-to-mid 20,000s.
In addition, the schools furthered their collaboration to basketball, where the men’s and women’s teams meet in a doubleheader, dubbed the Showdown in the Sound, Dec. 17 at Key Arena.
“It’s going to have an impact,” Brummell said. “It’s already an established event, but knowing that it will be the one game, with a lot on the line, will help. This is the game of the year for both these schools and for our alumni.”
“It’s unusual in college athletics when you have rivals working together like this,” Goodrich said. “But we’ve both benefited financially and it’s created a better will between the two institutions.”
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