The 50th Super Bowl may be played in the new Silicon Valley home of one of its most prolific winners.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced today that the city of San Francisco, the 49ers and the San Francisco Bay Area regional bid committee will submit a formal bid to host Super Bowl L in 2016.
The news followed an announcement this afternoon by the National Football League inviting San Francisco and South Florida to submit competing bids, making the regions contenders to become the host of the 50th annual football event, the mayor’s office said.
“We are excited to bid for the first Super Bowl in the Bay Area since January of 1985,” 49ers Chief Executive Officer Jed York said, “Now we have to work together to show the new stadium in Santa Clara will put on a great show,” York said.
If the 49ers host the 2016 Super Bowl, the game would be played in the team’s new 1.9 million-square-foot stadium in Santa Clara.
The stadium is currently under construction, and as of late last month, was on-schedule to be completed for the 2014 season, according to the 49ers.
San Francisco will deliver its bid package to NFL owners on May 7 of next year and formally present its bid in a live pitch to those same owners on May 21 in Boston, according to the mayor’s office.
If the region does not win the bid for the 50th Super Bowl, it will be allowed to compete with Houston, home of the Texans, for the 51st Super Bowl in 2017, according to PJ Johnston, spokesman for the bid committee.
Lee said he believes there is “no better place to play host to the Super Bowl,” and noted that the event would be good for local businesses.
“A Super Bowl in the Bay Area will bring an enormous economic boost to our entire region,” Lee said.
Breena Kerr, Bay City News
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