Getting to Know AZ

Undoubtedly the largest event of the year, the 2008 Super Bowl was held this past weekend in Glendale. Arizona played host to the XLII Super Bowl at the University of Phoenix Stadium where the New York Giants faced the undefeated New England Patriots. The last time the Super Bowl was played in Arizona was 1996 in Tempe.

The recently built stadium was designed to be a venue for not just football, but basketball, soccer, consumer shows, concerts etc. It took three years to build the stadium that’s equipped with a retractable roof and grass field. The official opening was on August 1, 2006 and is now the home of the Arizona Cardinals and Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The stadium can seat over 63,000 people regularly but can be expanded to seat over 73,000.

The venue is quite a sight to see and according to the stadiums website, has also been heralded with numerous awards.

“In 2006 Business Week voted University of Phoenix Stadium one of the top ten sports facilities in the world.

Named one of the seven wonders of Arizona by The Arizona Republic in 2007.

In 2007 the complex was named Event Site of the Year by Event Solutions Magazine.

The Phoenix Business Journal named University of Phoenix Stadium the #1 meeting venue in 2007.

In December 2006 & 2007 the facility was voted “Best NFL Facility” by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily.”

*taken from universityofphoenixstadium.com

The stadium was designed by the famed architect Peter Eisenman and was made to resemble a barrel cactus.

Fun Facts about the University of Phoenix Stadium…

• The stadium seats, if set in a straight line, would stretch for approximately eighteen (18) miles. That’s a lot of football fields.
• The amount of concrete used on the stadium is equal to 900 miles of sidewalk, the distance between Phoenix and San Francisco.
• The stadium air-conditioning system will generate 8,000 tons of cooling capacity, enough to cool 2,300 residential homes in the Phoenix area.

*taken from universityofphoenixstadium.com

Upcoming events at the stadium include Arizona Travel Show, LA Mesa RV Sale, the International Sportsman’s Exposition, and the Men’s Luxury Toy Expo and Auction.