Apr
13

Behind the Scenes of Groundbreaking

Friday, April 13, 2012

In less than a week, gold shovels will dig into precious California soil to signify a new beginning. A small plot of land adjacent to California’s Great America Park will give rise to one of the world’s premier entertainment venues.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Santa Clara Stadium is a major milestone for the franchise of the San Francisco 49ers. The event will held April 19 at 5 p.m. in a special ceremony that will include the York Family, Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews, the Santa Clara City Council members, community leaders and stadium supporters.

Due to make-ready construction work already underway at the site, plus limited accessibility and parking, the event will be limited to invited guests only.

While generally considered symbolic, this groundbreaking ceremony is significant. It’s an opportunity to celebrate nearly two decades of hard work to get the stadium project to this point and a green light for construction to officially begin.

The 49ers staff has prepared an entertaining program that will feature local talent, speakers and a festive atmosphere befitting this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Director of Marketing Ali Towle has coordinated everything from invitations to parking, and maneuvered around the on-going prep work and large construction machinery already working on site.

“It’s not every day one gets to be a part of a new stadium groundbreaking,” said Towle. “We are doing everything we can to make the celebration as special and as memorable as this monumental event merits. The planning and execution of a day like this truly ‘takes a village.’  Our partners Turner-Devcon, Centerplate, Promedia and California’s Great America have really helped us realize our vision. And, although the event is private, we do plan to share the festivities with our all of our fans via a live web stream on 49ers.com.”

The new Santa Clara Stadium is estimated to cost approximately $1. 2 billion. Officials expect it to be a landmark for Silicon Valley in addition to its role as the new home to the San Francisco 49ers.  The 1.85 million square foot facility will seat approximately 68,500 and feature an expected 165 luxury suites and 9,000 club seats.  It will be designed with multi-purpose flexibility to host a wide range of events including, domestic and international soccer, college football, motocross, concerts and various civic events, and is expandable for major events such as the Super Bowl.

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