AREA SUPER BOWL PLANNERS LAND CORPORATE SUPPORT

NORTH TEXAS Area Super Bowl planners land corporate support

By Andrea Ahles

Thursday, July 29, 2010 - 11:32am

There maybe fewer corporate jets at this year's Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla., but the North Texas Super Bowl host committee has been able to bring in the big sponsors for its game in 2011.

Chairman Roger Staubach said the committee has landed eight "founding" sponsors who have pledged $1 million each to help the region host Super Bowl XLV

"We have eight, and when I get back, we have four meetings set up. We'd like to have all 15 within the next couple of months," Staubach said. "We want to go into the last year just doing things that are creative and not worrying about the money and all the other things you have to worry about for the Super Bowl."

That $8 million is already more than the total amount that the Tampa host committee raised to defray security, transportation and event costs related to hosting the Super Bowl, said Bill Lively, chief executive of the North Texas committee.

The committee has already used some of its funds to hire staff, open two offices and run a booth touting the North Texas game in the media center in Tampa. Funds were also used to fly the Arlington, Fort Worth and Dallas mayors to this year's game so they could get a firsthand look at the logistics involved in the event.

MAYORLY ADVICE

Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said one of the key aims of the trip is to evaluate transportation, particularly after it took the mayors 2 V2 hours, instead of the usual 30 minutes, to drive to downtown Tampa for an event. By the time they arrived, the event was almost over.

"It gave us all renewed vigor to make sure people can get in and out and have a pleasant experience," Cluck said.

On Friday, the mayors met with Tampa airport officials and had lunch with the mayor of Tampa. Most of the discussions centered on public safety and how it has changed over the years.

TAMPA'S TROUBLES

Tampa is hosting its fourth Super Bowl, but because of the recession, the city may not reap the usual economic benefits associated with the game. Several parties and events related to the Super Bowl have been canceled in the last month.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Super Bowl will generate about $150 million in direct spending in the Tampa area, down from almost $200 million at last year's game in Glendale, Ariz.. The estimate is only slightly more than the $140 million the Tampa area took in when it hosted the 2001 Super Bowl.

WHAT'S AHEAD FOR NORTH TEXAS

Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief said that as North Texas plans its Super Bowl it will have to keep the economic conditions in mind.

"We have to be very focused in our planning to justify every dollar of expenditures as we prepare as a host committee to shine the spotlight on North Texas," Moncrief said. Since it is still two years until the Super Bowl is played at the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington, the mayors are not too concerned that fans might stay away or spend less.

"I think by 2011 we hopefully will have made significant progress in the financial mess that we're in," Cluck said, "and if we don't by 2011, we have much more serious problems than the Super Bowl."

Staff writer Charean Williams contributed to this report.