The advent of air travel was a game changer for the world of college sports, allowing teams from all across the United States to face off on turf that was often 2,000 miles away from their home field. When it comes to college football, this is not a common occurrence, with teams frequently criss-crossing the continent to play in dramatic showdowns as a part of intense rivalries with millions of fans following every moment. Besides moving the dozens of players, staff and support groups, there’s also lots of equipment that’s both bulky and heavy to transport.
So the question is, how do these big teams with their entourage and gear make it to games all over the United States for kick-off every time? The answer is a lot of dedicated planning and select airplanes that bring it all together to ensure America’s favorite game is always on time. The travel strategy that goes into transporting whole college football teams is a hybrid of planning that demands equal knowledge of sports, logistics, and aviation. Athletic programs’ operations teams have to navigate complex travel demands to ensure their team reaches its destination ready to compete.
Good travel planning requires the coordination of players, gear handlers, team stakeholders, airline staff and airport management together with the team managers and athletic directors; all of whom contribute to creating a seamless experience for players and staff - not to mention the fans too. In a historical story, FootballArcheaology.
