WIAA, UW-Madison announce 8-year extension for state championship hosting

MADISON, Wis. (Civic Media) – The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced an 8-year extension to the hosting arrangement for certain WIAA state championship events.

Boys basketball, 11-player football, boys and girls golf, individual and team wrestling, and softball will be held at UW-Madison facilities through the spring of 2033.

“We’re excited about these venues continuing to be the championship events for these student athletes, their coaches and these communities to come out in full force and celebrate the successes of these teams,” Stephanie Hauser, WIAA Executive Director, said at a press conference Tuesday.

Hauser said the process was relatively easy since the WIAA and UW had a shared vision for the state championship events.

“The most obvious challenges are always with the schedule,” Hauser said. “Those are usually the biggest challenges that come up.”

We’re thrilled to announce an 8-year contract extension with University of Wisconsin Athletics! 🎉

This means WIAA State Championships for boys basketball, football, golf, wrestling & softball will continue to be hosted in their premier Badger facilities through 2033! 🙌

Thank… pic.twitter.com/Yqke0hgf5v

— WIAA (@wiaawi) February 25, 2025

Wisconsin Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh said it was a critical way to showcase UW-Madison to people who might not otherwise have a reason to come to the campus.

“The ability to bring hundreds of thousands of people to our campus, to our city, is important,” McIntosh said. “This might be the first time that [people] have traveled here and visited Madison.”

McIntosh said that the economic impact for the Madison area for hosting state championships was estimated to be $22.2 million.

“There’s so many changes taking place right now in college athletics, and there are significant financial challenges that go along with it,” McIntosh said. “This partnership was about so much more than that.”

You can watch the announcement press conference on the NFHS website.

The host venues include:

• Kohl Center for boys basketball and individual wrestling
• Camp Randall Stadium for 11-player football
• Goodman Diamond for softball
• University Ridge for boys and girls golf
• UW Field House for team wrestling

“It is a thrill for UW Athletics, our campus and our city to play host to the state’s top high school student-athletes, coaches and staff members each year,” McIntosh said. “I am very pleased that we will be welcoming teams and their fans to Madison for years to come.”

You can read the full announcement by the WIAA and UW-Madison here.