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Big football game returns to Atlanta, will be played in three-piece suits

ATLANTA — It's the game elite athletes train for all their lives. And for a select few, those dreams will become a reality as the big football game comes to Atlanta on Saturday, Feb. 2.

PHOTOS: Three Piece Suit Football game

That's right! The Three Piece Suit Football Charity Festival returns to Atlanta next month. It's similar to that other game, the Super Bowl, being played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium the next day, but participants in the Three Piece Suit Football Game do it in more elegant attire.

Over 2,500 attendees are expected at the 11th annual game. Unlike that other game, admission is free. It all goes down at the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark.

Here are some more photos from the Three Piece Suit Football game. (Photo by Nelson Hicks/wsbtv.com)

The centerpiece of the charity festival is a picture-worthy game of tackle football played by men and women wearing three-piece suits. The fun-for-all-ages festival also features live music from local Atlanta artists, a Frisbee dog halftime show and face painting for kids. Mike Pereira, former NFL VP of officiating and current NFL on Fox rules analyst, will serve as the guest referee for the game.

Three Piece Suit Football was first held in 2009 at Atlanta’s Piedmont Park, as a pickup game on the morning of the Super Bowl to celebrate the culmination of the NFL season.

"The first year, there were 14 of us playing and a handful of spectators," explains founder Cameron Miller.
As attendance and excitement for the game increased each year, the players decided to use the game as a way to raise support for worthy causes.

Here are some more photos from the Three Piece Suit Football game. (Photo by Nelson Hicks/wsbtv.com)

“One of our original players was active military and missed the second (game) when he was deployed to Iraq,” Miller said. “So when deciding on a charity, we found it fitting to support veterans and their causes.”

To date, the game has raised over $98,000 for veteran-related causes.

“It's grown because people love football and the ridiculousness of watching an intense game of tackle football in colorful, fancy suits," Miller said. "It captures the imagination.”

This year's event supports Pets For Vets Georgia chapter and Battlefields to Ballfields.

Pets For Vets Georgia Chapter rescues and trains shelter dogs to be paired as companion animals with local Georgia veterans. Battlefields to Ballfields, a nonprofit organization founded by Mike Pereira, helps returning veterans reintegrate into civilian life by providing scholarships to assist them in training as sports officials.

Primary support for these charities at the festival will be through the Big Game Raffle, in which the winner will receive a pair of Super Bowl LIII tickets for the next day.