SCOTTSDALE, AZ (April 11, 2024) – In partnership with community partners BHHS Legacy Foundation and PNC Bank, Fiesta Bowl Charities officially unveiled the gift of the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl playing field to Fighter Country Foundation at Luke Air Force Base.

Chase Field – home of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl – transforms from a Major League Baseball diamond to a college football field for a postseason matchup. Luke Air Force Base's new field was the natural turf used for the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl, where a 49-36 Kansas victory over UNLV marked the highest-scoring game in Bowl Season.

On the day following the bowl game in late December, grass from the field was transported west to Glendale with installation during the first week of January.

"The Guaranteed Rate Bowl is unique for the competing teams and fans with a football field inside an MLB stadium, which this year hosted the World Series," said Fiesta Bowl Executive Director & CEO Erik Moses. "The uniqueness rises to a new level when you realize that the field used in the game is donated to Arizona communities every year to provide an asset greatly appreciated by those communities. You never know, someone enjoying this field at Luke Air Force Base may play in a future Vrbo Fiesta Bowl or Guaranteed Rate Bowl. What we do know is that play and sports positively impact the lives of millions of young people every day and we are proud to be able to provide this new field to the Luke Air Force Base community on behalf of the Fiesta Bowl, our partners BHHS Legacy Foundation, PNC Bank, the Big Ten, Big 12 and Mountain West Conferences."

With the support from BHHS Legacy Foundation and PNC Bank, this is the ninth Guaranteed Rate Bowl football field donation from Fiesta Bowl Charities. Previous fields have been placed in Phoenix and the greater metro area in Maryvale, Avondale, Laveen and Glendale, in addition to Bullhead City and Fort Mohave.

"BHHS Legacy Foundation is proud to be a community funding partner in providing the new Luke Air Force Base football field, a safe place that they can now call their home field, which will be used and enjoyed by hundreds of children and their military families living at the base," said Gerald Wissink, CEO of BHHS Legacy Foundation. "This important community project represents the fourth time that the Foundation has had the opportunity of serving as a funding partner with the Fiesta Bowl in the effective utilization of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl football field sod. The Foundation Board and staff are grateful for this unique project opportunity which will support and honor the families at Luke Air Force Base."

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl field replaced a decades-old grass field at Luke Air Force Base. The hundreds of children and military families living at the base were in need of a new field since last April, when the previous field was closed due to hazardous, uneven and unsafe conditions.

The 75,000 square-foot sod Guaranteed Rate Bowl field was installed at Luke Air Force Base, along with an additional 22,000 square feet of grass to form a 97,000-plus square-foot field. A new scoreboard also is included, to be used for family events, military PT requirements, Air Force intramurals and traveling leagues.

"Who would have thought that a College Bowl Game football field would be installed on an Active Duty Military Installation? It even surprised us at Fighter Country Foundation, but because of our great and growing relationship with Fiesta Bowl Charities, this amazing gift was installed and will be heavily utilized by military members and families at Luke AFB for years to come," said Ron Sites, president & CEO of Fighter Country Foundation. "We can't thank Fiesta Bowl Charities enough for this amazing project that they made possible."

Fighter Country Foundation is a nonprofit organization that focuses on programs and services to support and honor the families at Luke Air Force Base. Along with this football field donation, Fiesta Bowl Charities has partnered with Fighter Country Foundation for the last seven years as part of Operation Santa, a holiday shopping spree for children from Luke Air Force Base with an active, deployed parent.

Following a short program to kick off the unveiling, accompanied by a ribbon cutting, 25 kids participated in an activation to break in their new grass field.

"For nearly 160 years, PNC has been delivering solutions tailored to the unique needs of the communities where we live, work and play," said Cathleen Walker, PNC regional president of Arizona. "Our work with the Fiesta Bowl helps us do this in a meaningful way throughout Arizona, in this case by recognizing our service members and their families. We're proud to support Fiesta Bowl Charities as they continue to provide safe and unique outdoor spaces for children throughout Arizona."

ABOUT FIESTA BOWL
Since its inception in 1971, the Fiesta Bowl is a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans during and outside of college football bowl season. As a nonprofit organization, it is driven by its vision for the importance of community outreach and service. Through the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Guaranteed Rate Bowl and its year-round events, such as the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe, corporate partnerships and numerous community events throughout the year, the organization provides charitable giving to enhance Arizona nonprofit organizations that serve communities through youth, sports and education. Learn more at www.FiestaBowl.org and @Fiesta_Bowl on Twitter.

ABOUT BHHS LEGACY FOUNDATION
Since inception in 2000, BHHS Legacy Foundation has enhanced the quality of life and health in the Greater Phoenix and Tri-State regions, investing more than $150 million in health-related nonprofits in the communities we serve. Learn more at www.bhhslegacy.org.

ABOUT PNC BANK
PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.

ABOUT FIGHTER COUNTRY FOUNDATION
Business and community leaders in Maricopa County founded Fighter Country Partnership (1993) and Fighter Country Foundation (2006) to support the Men, Women, Families and Mission of Luke Air Force Base. We believe that quality of life for the Luke community is vital to the success of Luke's ongoing mission. In addition to community advocacy, Fighter Country supports the base community through programs in Morale and Well-Being, Culture and Tradition, and Mission Sustainability. Fighter Country Foundation played a pivotal role in the effort to retain Luke Air Force Base during difficult economic times. Fighter Country is certainly one of, if not the most successful military base community support organization in the United States.