Francis Taylor, Asst. Publisher
The
new Los Angeles football stadium in Inglewood is getting ready to open next
year and NFL officials visited Tuesday to make sure it will be ready to host
the Super Bowl in 2022.
The construction site is a small city full of activity – some 3,000 workers
every day building the new stadium.
“We’ve
been lucky to be in a number of new stadiums lately for the Super Bowl but this
will take it to another level,” said Peter O’Reilly, executive vice president
of NFL special events.
Kevin Demoff, chief operating officer of the Los Angeles Rams, says “It’s
been 30 years since Los Angeles last hosted a Super Bowl. This will be the
largest tourist event in Southern California since 1984 Olympics.”
NFL executives took a tour of this immense project that promises to be one of
the premiere stadiums anywhere in the world.
After it opens the L.A. stadium is poised to host not only the Super Bowl but
Olympic events as well.
Los
Angeles Chargers chief of staff Fred Maas said: “This is more than just
the football stadium and it’s something I think that anyone who lives in Los
Angeles can enjoy and partake in. There will be a full range of activities and
it’s going to become a signature for this incredible city.”
There will be restaurants and stores and entertainment areas. NFL officials say
they are making sure everything is perfect for the fan experience.
“It absolutely blows you away. The scale in the way, not only the stadium
will come to life, but this entire district will come to life, in a way that
will make this an incredibly special Super Bowl,” said O’Reilly.
The stadium is about 75 percent complete and is set to open in the summer of
2020.