ATLANTA: Minneapolis was named yesterday as the host city for Super Bowl 52 in February of 2018 at the Minnesota Vikings’ new $1 billion enclosed stadium set to open in 2016.
National Football League owners selected Minneapolis over fellow cold-weather city Indianapolis and New Orleans in voting conducted during the league owners meeting in Atlanta.
“The other NFL owners were extremely impressed with everything Minnesota had to offer and we have no doubt they will be even more excited with what the community will deliver in February 2018,” Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf said.
The move continues a recent NFL tradition of rewarding cities that build new venues with the championship spectacle, which brings hundreds of millions of dollars into a region’s economy as well as bringing worldwide attention.
The Super Bowl will be the second for the region. The 1992 championship game, in which Washington beat Buffalo 37-24, was played in the Metrodome, demolished to provide the site for the new domed stadium, which will seat 72,000 for the Super Bowl and was nearly half funded by taxpayers.
“We are thrilled to bring the Super Bowl back to Minnesota,” said Richard Davis, chief executive officer of US Bank and bid committee co-chair.
“We succeeded in making the best case to the NFL owners by pointing out the many strengths our region offers -- a tremendous entertainment and hospitality industry, strong connectivity with both our light rail and skyway systems, and perhaps most important, a new, iconic stadium that will be among the best in the country.”
Only a handful of Super Bowls have been played in cold-weather cities. The Detroit area hosted the game in 1982 and 2006, Indianapolis hosted the game in 2012 and this year’s Super Bowl was staged in suburban New York, the first outdoor venue used for the game in a cold-weather city.
“We plan to set the bar high for all northern destinations that host the Super Bowl,” said bid co-chair Doug Baker. AFP
