Glendale-hosted Super Bowl has been years in the making

PHOENIX — The Super Bowl LVII is set to be hosted at State Farm Stadium in Glendale in about a month, but the massive event has been years in the making.

It started with work on the roads, Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps said.

“We wanted to make sure that we rebuilt Glendale Avenue in and around the entertainment district… [that] started almost two years ago,” he said. “Recently, we completed a project to improve wayfinding signs.”

Additionally, there was painting, planting trees and other work to get done.

“Operationally, the largest responsibilities include doing all the permitting for a huge number of structures that will be put together in front of the Super Bowl,” Phelps said. “We have code inspectors that have been donated to us by several different cities in the West Valley.”

That’s just one example of how the Super Bowl is a Valley-wide event — even if the game happens in Glendale.

Another is the comprehensive public safety plan, a collaboration between local jurisdictions, Homeland Security, the FBI and the NFL.

“We will have law enforcement from agencies throughout the state of Arizona that will be contributed to the effort,” Phelps said. “The local communities can continue to be protected, while at the same time providing enough resources at the stadium to ensure the event goes smoothly.”

He also stressed the robust medical plan in place for player and attendees, including treatment and transportation.

“Here in the Valley, we’re used to doing mega events,” Phelps said. “From Barrett Jackson to the WM Open … Final Fours, Fiesta Bowls, the Super Bowl… I think this community is really prepared to be able to pull off these kinds of events.”

Phelps believes Glendale is even better prepared now than they were in 2015, the last time they hosted a Super Bowl.

“We were not in a great position to capture the real benefit of the event,” he said. “A lot of people came to the Super Bowl on Sunday, but they spent time in other areas of the Valley because there just weren’t a lot of options here in Glendale.”

In 2023 he says Glendale, and the entertainment district where State Farm Stadium resides, have grown to better accommodate a large amount of visitors and keep them engaged. One example is hotel capacity.

“One of the initiatives we’ve worked on is to significantly increase the number of hotel rooms within a one mile radius of the stadium,” Phelps said. “While that number was around 900 rooms in 2015, it’ll be closer to 1,700 rooms for this year’s Super Bowl. For the Final Four in 2024, we expect than number to be closer to 3,000.”

Phelps explained the more people who actually stay in the area, more money will be spent on food, drinks and entertainment there, too.

“We think that we’re positioning ourselves to be even more attractive in winning bids for mega events,” he added. “We think the future is brighter than it has ever been.”