Las Vegas CFP national championship host committee announced
Ahead of Las Vegas hosting the 2027 College Football Playoff national championship game, a group of business, entertainment, gaming, government, sports and tourism leaders have been assembled to ensure the city is prepared to host the mega event.
The 2027 Las Vegas host committee will help guide the process leading up to college football’s marquee event, scheduled for Jan. 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium, by overseeing local planning, operations and hospitality efforts.
Committee members
The host committee will be led by co-chairs Sandra Douglass Morgan, president of the Raiders, and Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson.
Other members of the host committee include sports industry vets Andy Gorchov, general manager of Allegiant Stadium, and Raiders’ senior vice president and general counsel Justin Carley. Resort leaders on the committee include Carlos Castro, president and chief financial officer of Resorts World, Gary Fritz, chief commercial officer and president of MGM Digital, and Sean McBurney, chief commercial officer and regional vice president of Caesars Entertainment.
Tourism leaders on the committee include Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and Virginia Valentine, president and CEO of the Nevada Resort Association.
“It’s a huge event, and obviously it’s very important,” Hill told the Review-Journal on Tuesday. “You can’t be the sports and entertainment capital of the world and not host the college football national championship,” Hill said. “College and pro football are religion in the United States, and it’s just such a huge part of the sports landscape in this country. So, we’re really proud that they (CFP) have placed their trust in us for 2027. We have shown that we are the place to come have events that are memorable and the host committee will do a great job.”
The committee is rounded out by Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft, Jeremy Aguero, principal of financial consulting firm Applied Analysis, and Rob Dondero, executive vice president of public relations firm R&R Partners.
“It’s just part of demonstrating that locals who live here have a role in the major events that benefit all of us,” Naft told the Review-Journal on Tuesday. “I’m pleased to have the opportunity to serve on this. I served as the chair of the transportation committee for the Super Bowl committee. Similarly here, we’ll have a real opportunity to again demonstrate why Las Vegas is the best place on the planet to host world-class events.”
Super Bowl experience
Aside from leading hosting efforts, the committee will ensure the event leaves a lasting legacy on Southern Nevada, planning a series of events leading up to the game that will include charitable efforts, volunteer opportunities, youth and education-based programming and events to illustrate Las Vegas a premier host city.
The main committee will form subcommittees that will handle the various aspects of hosting a major event, such as transportation, media and marketing and logistics, similar to what the Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee did for Super Bowl 58, which was held in Las Vegas in 2024.
Despite each subcommittee having up to 25 members, the format worked smoothly for the Super Bowl, and Hill is confident it will again for the CFP title game.
“Bringing the expertise throughout the city on each one (subcommittee) on these topics that we need to address in order to do a great job for the event,” Hill said. “The Super Bowl went so well, and I wondered how bringing 200 or 300 people into 12 committees was actually going to work when you have 20 to 25 people per committee, that’s not always the best way to get something done, but what we learned is the city knows how to come together to make those things happen and they did. The concerns of what you might have around larger committees really didn’t materialize.”
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.
