Spectra Venue Management, operators of two American Athletic Conference (AAC) venues in the state of Florida, the USF Sun Dome at the University of South Florida (USF) and the CFE Arena at the University of Central Florida (UCF), is launching a friendly clothing drive competition between the two university arenas to coincide with their rivalry Men’s and Women’s basketball games.

The initiative is to collect new or gently used clothing for the homeless or those at risk of becoming homeless within the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas.

Both the USF Sun Dome and the CFE Arena will compete in separate clothing drives to see which venue can collect the most donations by encouraging fans, students, and staff to contribute to this great cause. The USF Sun Dome will be partnering with Metropolitan Ministries, while the CFE Arena will be partnering with HOPE Helps, Inc.

“This is the second year both venues have held a friendly competition that will benefit a great cause while also adding an extra element to this great in-state rivalry,” says Spectra’s Trent Merritt, Regional Vice President and General Manager of the USF Sun Dome. “Community involvement is one of the pillars of success for Spectra, and this is a great example of how we find creative ways to align our business, our partners, and our community.”

The USF Sun Dome will hold their clothing drive during USF’s Women’s basketball game against UCF on Tuesday, January 5th at 7:00PM and during the Men’s USF vs. UCF basketball game on Wednesday, January 20th at 6:15PM. Members of the public are asked to drop items off at the designated blue bins, located at each of the four gates of the Sun Dome.

The CFE Arena will hold their clothing drive during the UCF vs. USF Men’s basketball game on Wednesday, January 6th at 7:00PM and at the Women’s basketball game vs. USF on Sunday, January 24th at 2:00PM. Members of the public are asked to drop items off in the designated bins located in the front lobby.

“Giving back and community involvement are important to UCF and Spectra, and we’re glad we can get the rivalry between UCF and USF involved,” says Spectra’s Brian Hixenbaugh, General Manager of the CFE Arena. “Last year’s blood drive was a success and we’re sure the clothing drive will be just as impactful.”

The winning university arena will be decided based on the number of items collected during each clothing drive.

Spectra Venue Management will announce the winner via social media on Monday, January 25th. Fans are also encouraged to use the hashtag #UCFvsUSFCollectClothes as they make their donations and to follow the progress of the competition.