Birmingham, Alabama may not seem like the most glamorous location of Bowl season, but the Birmingham Bowl always has a fun lineup of events and things for each team to do before the actual contest. Eastern Carolina and Coastal Carolina — the two teams that will face off Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 6:45 p.m. ET (5:45 a.m. CT) inside Protective Stadium — arrived in Alabama a few days before the game and are currently taking on the bowling week festivities in addition to preparing for the game.
Coastal arrived on the night of Thursday December 22 at the Sheraton Hotel Birmingham. ECU arrived on the afternoon of Friday December 23rd at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Birmingham. The two teams spent Friday night at the Stardome Comedy Club in Hoover, where they were treated to a comedy show.
Due to freezing temperatures in the area, the Pirates must use the Alabama Crimson Tide indoor practice facility the next few mornings before game day. No media is allowed inside the establishment. Coastal Carolina trained at Birmingham Southern College on Saturday morning.
Chanticleers and Pirates will then each take turns at the ePLEX entertainment complex, where virtual reality entertainment and gaming devices will be used for two hours.
Wednesday training? pic.twitter.com/UTu9R4N7DK
— ECU Soccer (@ECUPiratesFB) December 24, 2022
Following Sunday morning practices on Christmas Day, the two teams will meet for a joint team function in a bowling challenge at the Vestavia Bowl.
Monday, December 26 brings the final tune-up practices for each team, followed by a “Spouse Day” for the coaching partners and a “Kids Day” for the kids. A pre-game press conference at Protective Stadium for Coastal and East Carolina is scheduled for Monday afternoon. The final pregame festivity (with no tailgating on game day) will be the “Bud Light Fan Fest and Pep Rally at Uptown Entertainment District,” scheduled for 1-6 p.m. Monday. The Coastal Carolina Cheer Rally will be at 5 p.m., the ECU Cheer Rally will be at 5:30 p.m., and fireworks will follow at 6 p.m.
There will also be an ECU Pirate Club rooftop party at the Southern Kitchen + Bar, starting at 7 p.m. on Monday evening. Free entry.
This will be ECU’s third appearance at what is now known as the Birmingham Bowl. The inaugural event – the 2006 PapaJohns.com Bowl – featured a meeting between South Florida and East Carolina. In 2014, ECU met the Florida Gators at the Birmingham Bowl. This will only be the second Birmingham Bowl at UAB’s new protective stadium, and the first time ECU have played there.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS (ALL WEATHER CENTRAL)
FRIDAY:
6:00 PM, Evening Joint Team Function – Dinner & Entertainment – Stardome Comedy Club
SATURDAY:
1-3 p.m. – Coastal Carolina at ePLEX Entertainment Complex
3:30-5:30 p.m. – East Carolina at ePLEX Entertainment Complex
SUNDAY:
3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. – Joint Team Function – Bowling Challenge at Vestavia Bowl
MONDAY:
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. – Spouses Day – Hyatt Regency Hotel
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Kids Outing – Southern Museum of Flight
1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Bud Light Fan Fest and Pep Rally at Uptown Entertainment District (across from Shield Stadium)
5:00 p.m. – Coastal Carolina Pep Rally
5:30 p.m. – East Carolina Pep Rally
6:00 p.m. – Fireworks
TUESDAY:
5:45 p.m.: Kick off for the Birmingham Bowl 2022 at Protective Stadium
Comments are closed.