As of Monday, the Bay Area is officially on the clock to host the next Super Bowl.
It’s been years in the making and now, local leaders say they looking forward to making it one for the history books.
Earlier Monday, New Orleans officials completed the super bowl handoff – to the Bay Area Host Committee.
Next year, Levi’s Stadium will host the sport’s biggest game once again, 10 years after the first time the mega-event came to Santa Clara.
“There’s no doubt that football, it’s audience, and the Super Bowl itself has gotten so much bigger since then and i’m here to tell you that we will be ready,” said Zaileen Janmohamed, Bay Area Host Committee President.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan was among those on hand in New Orleans to represent the Bay Area this past weekend.
The message was that next year’s game will look a lot different than the last one in 2016.
“We want to show off what the bay area has to offer in terms of innovation, diversity, access to the outdoors. There’s so much to do and we’re getting ready, we’re excited, we want the entire community to participate,” he said.
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor said the hosting duties are a bit more complex now and security will be even tighter this time around.
“We’re excited about it. We’ve been there, done that. But we’re going to do it better this time,” she said.
Gillmor added that she hopes Super Bowl week will expand, noting that back in 2016, many of the events were held in San Francisco.
“Last time, we wanted to get more involved with the community and even all the other surrounding communities as well, especially here in the South Bay to have more events here so we need to look at that,” she said.
There are millions of reasons to make sure the Bay Area puts its best foot forward. The Bay Area Host Committee projects that Super Bowl week will bring an estimated $500-600 million to the region.
Bay Area businesses also want to make sure they’re getting in on the action. That includes Cocina Doña Maria, one of the closest places to eat outside of Levi’s Stadium.
“A lot of people coming and eating and going and then other people coming in. [On game days] we have a least 100 people,” said Magdalina with Cocina Doña Maria.
Other local shops told NBC Bay Area off camera Monday that they worry the security perimeter for that week could actually hinder businesses.
In preparation for the big game, Levi’s Stadium is also getting a $200 million refresh.
The suites are getting a facelift, the wireless network will be 5G, and the stadium is getting the largest 4k displays in the NFL.
All part of the prep for one of the biggest events in sports, anywhere in the world.
Source: NBC Bay Area
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