RICHMOND, Va. – The Atlantic 10 Conference announced today it has entered into a three-year partnership with the city of Richmond to bring the A-10 Women's Basketball Championship to the Richmond Coliseum beginning in 2014. The announcement was made at a joint news conference held at the Richmond Downtown Marriott.
“The opportunity to establish a long-term home for our women's basketball championship and partner with the city of Richmond was one we could not pass up. We selected Richmond because it gives us the ability to build on our record attendance from last year's championship and provide a true March Madness environment for our women's basketball student-athletes,” A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade said. “I want to thank our head coaches and directors of athletics for their leadership in this selection and commend the city of Richmond, SMG and my staff for their commitment to making this a true win-win partnership for everyone involved.”
“This is a great day for the Atlantic 10 Conference and for women's basketball,” Saint Louis head coach Lisa Stone said. “Taking our championship to a neutral site is great news for our league. I'm confident the city of Richmond will do an awesome job as the host.”
The 2014 13-team event will take place Wednesday through Sunday, March 5-9. The championship will open with a play-in game Wednesday followed by four first-round games Thursday, four quarterfinal games Friday, the semifinals Saturday and the championship game Sunday. The semifinals will be nationally televised live on CBS Sports Network, while the final will air live on ESPNU at 10 a.m. Central.
The Atlantic 10 is one of only eight conferences that will conduct its women's basketball championship at a neutral site, separate from the men's championship.
“I am so pleased to be welcoming the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship to the city of Richmond. The A-10 is a phenomenal league, and we are ready to welcome the players, the coaches and the fan base to our great city,” Mayor Dwight C. Jones said. “This tournament has a very strong following that will strengthen our sports tourism draw and keep the city on the radar for future prestigious tournaments.”
The Richmond Coliseum, which seats nearly 12,000 for basketball, has offered quality entertainment to the Richmond metropolitan area for more than 40 years and has a history of hosting college conference championships. Three other leagues have held postseason tournaments at the Coliseum, which also hosted the 1994 NCAA Women's Final Four.
