Levi’s Stadium

San Francisco 49ers

About Stadium

Located in Santa Clara, in the San Francisco Bay are sites the home of the NFL’s 49ers franchise. It’s been their home since opening in 2014 and is located about 40 miles from downtown San Francisco.

Plans for the stadium were hatched in 2006 and were originally to have a stadium built by the site of their current stadium, Candlestick Park, located in San Francisco. In addition to a new stadium, the plans included housing improvements and the addition of retail space which would greatly benefit the surrounding area. Negotiations fell through and instead the team turned its focus towards an area by its team’s administrative offices located in Santa Clara.

The project was approved in June of 2010 by Santa Clara voters and the loan for the construction project was secured in December of 2011. Ground was eventually broken on the project the following year in April 2012. The stadium was finished two years later and opened on July 17, 2014.

The stadium was designed by world renowned architectural firm HNTB, with the intention of creating a multi-purpose venue with a focus on energy efficiency and green technology.

It’s an open-air stadium with a natural grass playing surface. The stadium seats 68,500 and can be expanded up to 75,000 for some other major events. Much like the design of Ford Field in Detroit, the home of the Detroit Lions, most of the luxury suites were dedicated to one side of the stadium, which allowed the upper deck to be closer to the field and allowing a better experience for fans in the upper levels.

•Capacity: 68,500

•Opened: July 17, 2014

•Playing Surface: Tifway II Bermuda Grass

•Location: 4900 Marie P DeBartolo Way

Santa Clara, California

History

• After plans had failed to build a new stadium by their current location at Candlestick Park, a new plan was hatched in November of 2006 to construct the new 68,000 seating venue in the general Santa Clara area.

• Since 2014 it’s served as the home of the Pac-12 Football Championship Game. Before landing at Levi’s Stadium, the championship game had been played at the team with the better record between the two opponents.

• On May 8, 2013 Levi Strauss & Co. bought the naming rights to the stadium, and named it Levi’s Stadium. The deal is worth $220.3 million one the next 20 years, and also holds an option for a 5 year extension for $75 million after the contract is up.

• On July 17, 2014 during its grand opening, Commissioner Roger Goodell mentioned to the live crowd about the idea of sharing the stadium with the Raiders, who were located across the bay in Oakland. However the Raiders have insisted on staying at the older Coliseum site.

• In January of 2016, the Raiders withdrew their interest from moving to LA, where they would have potentially shared a stadium with the Rams or Chargers, and now discussions have occurred again about their moving into Levi’s stadium to share the field with the 49ers.

Past and Current Teams

San Francisco 49ers (NFL) (2014–present)