Rain Sinks City's Hopes For Large Crowd At Championship Game

Both Chattanooga and Hamilton County leaders challenged local residents to come down to this FCS National Championship Game. But the weather certainly did not help. The rain couldn't have come at a worse time because Chattanooga is doing everything possible to make sure next years game is played at Finley stadium.

"We've been coming for the last five, six years and wouldn't miss it for the world," Chuck Hartline says.

Hartline and his son Alex live in Ooltewah and hope they can catch the Championship Game in Chattanooga for the next three years.

"It means the world to Chattanooga and also me. For Chattanooga itself and the economy and just to bring a lot of good people together to watch a good football game," Hartline says.

Chattanooga and Frisco, Texas are the two final cities competing to score the big game.

"Texas nobody knows how to get there, they really don't. Everybody knows how to get to Chattanooga, it's right here in the middle of the state," Dan Rogers from Whitwell says.

But the locals aren't the only ones pulling for the Scenic City.

"I like this town, its the people are great to us they're friendly very hospitality to us I mean it's really really nice to be down here," Joe Garrity, who flew in from Montana to watch the game, says.

In the end this game is really all about the money for the City of Chattanooga. But even with the merchandise, the food, and the fans with too much money to spend, this years game will most likely not make as much money as in years past. We found a number of rain soaked seats empty Friday night and ticket sales are down. But Hartline hopes this downpour doesn't sink Chattanooga's chances for the Championship.  

"If it's not broke don't fix it," Hartline says.

In the end 14,328 fans bought tickets for the game. Over 20,000 fans have to attend the game for a sellout.