The Home Depot Center in Carson will remain the host site for the CIF State Football Championship Bowl Games, CIF Executive Director Marie M. Ishida announced Monday.

The CIF State Office and the Home Depot Center signed a three-year deal that will run through the 2012 season.

Home Depot Center was selected over Bakersfield College’s Memorial Stadium, Buchanan High School in Clovis, Los Angeles Coliseum, San Jose State University’s Spartan Stadium and Stanford Stadium

“I’m pleased with the selection of Home Depot Center again,” Ishida said. “We had some great venues that we considered. But because we’ve been with Home Depot in the past, and because they provided us with an opportunity to go back that was financially feasible, we chose to sign a deal with them.”

Other factors that weighed into CIF’s decision to return to Home Depot Center included the size of the venue, its location and the opportunity to build fascination around the state football championships.

“We’re trying not only to create and develop an event, but generate a goal that Home Depot Center is a final destination for our football teams like the ‘Road to Arco’ (Arena) in Sacramento is for our state basketball championships or the ‘Road to Woodward Park’ in Fresno is for our state cross country championships,” Ishida said.

“We now have that mystique for the football championships.”

Next season’s two-day, fivegame (Open Division, Divisions I, II, III and Small Schools) event is December 17-18.

Home Depot Center will also serve as host for the CIF’s ancillary events, including The UCA California State Cheerleading Championships and a coaches clinic sponsored by Nike.

The concept of the state football championship bowl games was approved by the CIF Federated Council as a two-year pilot in May 2005. The pilot proposal called for three games to be played in December 2006 and 2007. Those contests took place at the Home Depot Center.

The CIF previously offered state football championships early in the 20th century, between the years of 1919-28. The event was discontinued at that time due to financial constraints.