Nov
26

Cal to Play Oregon in First College Football Game at Levi’s Stadium

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

The University of California and The Santa Clara Stadium Authority announced today that they have partnered to host Cal’s home football game versus The University of Oregon in the first-ever collegiate football game at Levi’s® Stadium.

“Playing the first college football game at Levi’s® Stadium provides an exceptional opportunity for our student-athletes, alumni, students and fans to be some of the first to experience the new venue, one that will soon play host to a Super Bowl,” director of athletics Sandy Barbour said.

“The Santa Clara Stadium Authority is excited to host two teams with great tradition and passionate fans on a national stage,” said Santa Clara Stadium Authority executive director Julio Fuentes. “This will be another event that features one of our region’s most renowned sports programs while allowing the Bay Area community an opportunity to experience a premiere outdoor sports and entertainment venue in our own back yard.”

“Northern California has a tremendously rich history of college football,” said Paraag Marathe, chief operating officer of the 49ers who booked the event on behalf of the Stadium Authority. “We are very excited to be able to showcase two of the game’s most storied programs at Levi’s® Stadium. This matchup is exactly the caliber of event we will continue to bring to the venue.”

Levi’s® Stadium is scheduled to open for the 2014 football season as the new home for the San Francisco 49ers. The $1.2 billion facility seats 68,500 and will be the site for Super Bowl L in 2016, as well as for the annual Fight Hunger Bowl beginning next year. Fans will be treated to the next generation stadium experience with nine club areas, large open plazas, and a robust mobile experience that will allow them to navigate the building with ease and order merchandise, food and beverage from their own handheld devices and have it delivered to their seat.

Cal and Oregon will meet on Friday, October 24, and the contest will be televised nationally by either ESPN or FOX, with the network to be designated at a later date. The remainder of the conference schedule will be announced by the Pac-12 Conference just after the New Year. The unique characteristics of playing the Cal-Oregon game at Levi’s® Stadium are expected to produce as much as a seven-figure dollar increase in incremental net revenue for the athletic department relative to a home game.

In all, Cal will host six games on campus in 2014, including Stanford, UCLA and Washington, with five away contests and one home game in Santa Clara. Cal season-ticket holders will have the opportunity to opt-in to purchase seats to the Cal-Oregon game in addition to the six-game home package.

Full season-ticket holders will be able to purchase tickets to the Cal-Oregon game at a special discounted rate, and ESP members will receive complimentary tickets and parking equivalent to their normal allocation. Cal students will have access to tickets at a significant discount and complimentary transportation to the game. Specific inventory has been reserved for Levi’s® Stadium Builders License (SBL) holders who, along with suite holders, will have priority access to tickets for this event.

For more information on how to become a Levi’s® Stadium seat holder and gain priority access to this event, book a tour at the Levi’s® Stadium Preview Center.

For future alerts on tickets and events hosted at Levi’s® Stadium, sign up here.

The season-ticket renewal period for Cal football begins on Monday, December 16 when 2013 ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase seats for next season. At that time, they will also have the option to buy tickets to the Cal-Oregon matchup.

Under the current Pac-12 media rights agreement, each conference school is obligated to host a weeknight game on average once every two years and the arrangement with Levi’s® Stadium will help relieve many of the burdens associated with hosting weeknight games on campus.

“Once we learned that we would be hosting Oregon on a Friday night, we put a lot of thought into how best to manage the game,” director of athletics Sandy Barbour said. “We consulted with campus leadership, alumni and members of our staff and relied on our experience from the 2012 season. Ultimately, we want to provide our student-athletes with a world-class collegiate experience. After analyzing a number of factors, including the on-campus impact on fans for a weeknight game, we reached the conclusion that playing the Friday game against Oregon at Levi’s® Stadium is the best solution for the upcoming season.”

Additional information regarding tickets, suite availability, parking and transportation, will be available after details are finalized. For questions, fans are encouraged to contact the Cal customer service team at (800) GO BEARS (462-3277).

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