The Colorado High School Activities Association announced at a press conference Thursday that Canvas Stadium will be the new host of the 4A and 5A boys football championship games starting next season.

Also, starting in the fall of 2024, the 3A championship will join 4A and 5A at Canvas for their championship game.

The football championship games for both of those classifications have been at Empower Field at Mile High for the past 18 years, while 1A, 2A and 3A along with 6-man and 8-man classifications have been held at Colorado State University Pueblo for that period. As CHSAA’s deal with Empower Field neared its end, they decided to look elsewhere for a host, and CSU answered the call.

“This is a very big step for our organization, and a very exciting one,” CHSAA commissioner Mike Krueger said. 

Canvas Stadium hosted its first few high school games in September 2022, when local high schools in Fort Collins faced off in what was called the Canvas Community Classic. The event garnered a good turnout of local students and fans to watch the game.

Canvas will still hold that event, and for at least the next few years, it will be home to Colorado state championship games as well.

Krueger was optimistic about the deal, saying he expects attendance numbers to go up in comparison to past championship games at Empower Field. Many state championship teams are in the same area as Empower, making for a more convenient trip for fans, but Krueger doesn’t think travel from the Denver metro area to Fort Collins will be a problem.

“I believe our communities, our fans, our spectators love to come and cheer their teams on,” Krueger said. “I can tell you right now honestly, I fully anticipate our attendance numbers to go up.”

Krueger was also hopeful that hosting a state championship at a college campus will give student-athletes a chance that they may not have otherwise to not only see a college campus, but to get a taste of what it’s like to play at the next level.

The inaugural state championship games at Canvas Stadium are scheduled for Dec. 2.

Reach Braidon Nourse at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @BraidonNourse.