Are you ready for some football?

The 2026 season for the Game Day Foundation is almost here. Before everything gets underway, we want to take a moment to say thanks to everyone who has contributed tickets to college games and especially to those who have contributed money to help make our game day experiences for our special fans and their families truly memorable. YOU are our MVP’s!!

Welcome Texas A&M

This season we will be creating a special Gameday experience for one family at Kyle Field as we team with Texas A&M. The GameDay Foundation is excited to work with the Aggies. We value every university that helps support our mission. Thank you Texas A&M! Photo of Kyle Field by David Rodezno.

War Eagle! Our partnership with Auburn continues

Over the last decade the athletic department of Auburn University has been a valued partner with The Game Day Foundation. Already for 2026 they have committed to provide tickets for some of our recipient families. As a result, monetary donations will go even further as we create awesome experiences for our special fans this year.

Ohio State supports Game Day Foundation

We are pleased to announce that THE Ohio State University is partnering with Game Day Foundation to create some special memories for our special fans during the 2026 season. We appreciate the tickets they have donated so that we can make our donated funds go further for game day experiences in Columbus this year.

Bulldogs partner with Game Day

More great news - The University of Georgia and alumni Coach H has confirmed 12 donated tickets for a Bulldog game in Fall 2026. This is a great start as we expand our partnership with Georgia to serve Bulldog fans who are special needs or have unique medical issues. We love when passionate alumni donate tickets to expand our Game Day experiences to more families. Go Dawgs!

Thank you, Alabama Athletic Department

Once again, the University of Alabama has made an early commitment to partner with the Game Day Foundation for tickets for our recipients and their families. This allows us to direct our funds to travel and food to make the game day experience extra special. There is nothing like spending a game day at Bryant-Denny Stadium and watching a game on Nick Saban field. Our thanks to the athletic department at Bama and “Roll Tide”! (Stadium drone photo by Alex Mertz)

There is no off season at The Game Day Foundation

Your favorite college football programs may not play games all year, but they are busy in the off-season, too. We are the same way at the Game Day Foundation. We try to do good all year long for special fans and on January 31, we sent these 3 lucky fans and family members to the 2026 Senior Bowl. The Panini Senior Bowl is the premier college football all-star game and the official first step in the NFL Draft process. For more than 76 years, Mobile, Alabama has proudly hosted this historic event, making it the longest continually running all-star game in football. We are honored to work with them and appreciate their donation of tickets to create another memorable game day experience. We also would like to thank Raising Canes Chicken Fingers at 3200 Airport Boulevard in Mobile for providing tailgate snacks.

During the off-season we will be continuing to raise funds to create even more memorable game day events this fall. If your company or business would like to be a part of our mission like our friends at the Senior Bowl and Raising Canes, reach out to us….and thank you again for your support over the last 14 years.

Thank you Coach Stallings for your commitment to special needs people

A new documentary film about former Alabama football coach Gene Stallings offers a reminder of why we started and continue the Game Day Foundation. We encourage you to visit the website about this new film and watch the trailer. https://dorightstallings.com/

623:our favorite game stat

We have now created 623 game day experiences thanks to the support of our generous donors. We could not do it without the grassroots support of so many college football fans who donate the cash and the tickets to make these experiences possible. There is nothing like a day at a thrilling college football game to bring the family together in a shared experience that is full of joy (even if your favorite team loses), especially if it is the first time you have had the chance to be there “live”. Thanks to all the people who support us in this mission. Let’s keep growing The Game Day Foundation and make even more special people happy!

Preparing for YOUR game day

Most of the college football stadiums that we send our Game Day recipients for go the extra mile to make sure special needs are taken care of. All are ADA compliant. Many even provide a wheelchair escort and other special services if arranged in advance. We want to make sure every family has the best experience possible and encourage family members to visit the university’s athletic website prior to your game day trip. Here is an example of the type of services offered. This one is from the University of Alabama. https://rolltide.com/sports/2020/9/2/ada-and-family-services

The Game Day Foundation announces Arkansas partnership

If you have heard the story of legendary Arkansas Razorback offensive lineman, Brandon Burlsworth, or seen the movie “Greater’ you know the impact he had not only on University of Arkansas football fans, but on the world. The foundation named after him continues to do great things in his honor. Game Day Foundation is pleased to announce our partnership with the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation to make sure we take at least one family to an University of Arkansas home game each year starting in 2026 . "Wooooo Pig Sooie Razorbacks!"

The Game Day Foundation is getting ready for the 2025 season

As we look ahead to the 2025 football season, we are working on expanding our experiences to more campuses and beyond the SEC. Our plans include sending 80+ special fans and their families to Alabama games, sixteen plus to Auburn, twenty to Georgia, eight to LSU, ten to Clemson, six to Ole Miss, eight to Oklahoma, eight to Mississippi State, twenty-five to Michigan, sixteen to Army and twelve to Syracuse. Thanks to all who donate to our 100% volunteer effort either financially or with tickets. YOU make more game day experiences possible every year and help us expand our reach to more and more families.

Ryan “Hollywood” Williams helps The Game Day Foundation make dreams come true

Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams joined the Game Day Foundation to bring excitement to two of his biggest fans (Baylen and Asher) who had dreamed of meeting him in person. As Alabama Gatorade Football Player of the Year and the Alabama Mr. Football in 2022 and 2023 when at Saraland High School, Ryan was a sought after recruit as a 17 year old freshman. At the University of Alabama he had an incredible first season….and is poised to play a major role for the Crimson Tide. Already he is a fan favorite. He was named a Freshman All-American by the FWAA, selected to the All-SEC First Team and Freshman All-SEC Team, and was a finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. His childhood nickname of “Hollywood” fits since he is already a major star player at Alabama.

Special thanks also to Ryan’s Saraland HS Coach Jeff Kelly, and Ryan’s agent. Also, thanks to Alabama teammate Dre’ Kirkpatrick, Jr. who came with Ryan to meet these very special fans.

Thank you, Mississippi State

A big thank you to the Bulldogs for donating tickets this year to see the Bulldogs in Starkville. Our special fans will have their cowbells ready Game Day Foundation welcomes ticket support from all universities, allowing our cash donations to fund more game day experiences. We also appreciate fan-donated tickets as well.

Recapping 2023

40 special  kids and 99+ family members experienced their first college football game day experience in 2023!

Here are some of the games they attended:

Okl vs SMU 9/9 5pm   3 Families

Ole Miss vs Georgia Tech 9/16  2 Families

Aub vs Samford 9/16   9 Families

Clemson vs Fla Atlantic  9/16 7pm   2 Families

LSU vs Army 10/21   2 Families

Georgia vs Missouri 11/4   2 Families

Alabama vs UT Chattanooga 11/18/23   4 Families 

Auburn vs New Mexico State  11/18/23 7 Families

Arkansas vs FIU 11/18/23   2 Families

“Doing Good” TV coverage

We appreciate Fox 10 in Mobile helping us tell our story to their audience. Click here to view the segment:

https://www.fox10tv.com/2024/02/06/doing-good-game-day-foundation/

Game Day Radio

One of the most popular sports radio stations in Alabama interviewed our founder, Mike Finlen, about the Game Day Foundation. Click play to listen to the interview.

Game Day Foundation Interview on WJOX