LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Caesars Superdome stands out as the epicenter for the Tremendous Bowl in New Orleans subsequent month, however Verizon has a sport plan to make sure the championship pleasure stretches past the Massive Straightforward.
Verizon will remodel stadiums and venues throughout 30 NFL markets into a large coast-to-coast occasion known as FanFest on Feb. 9, the corporate introduced Friday. The nationwide celebration will characteristic on-field entry, dwell music, native cooks and meet-and-greets at every location with present and former NFL gamers comparable to Marshall Faulk, Jason Witten, Tiki Barber, Derrick Brooks and Thurman Thomas.
“This is a new way for fans to enjoy the Super Bowl” mentioned Eli Manning, a two-time Tremendous Bowl MVP and Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame finalist, who will function a FanFest ambassador. Verizon clients can declare free tickets on a first-come, first-served foundation beginning Friday by visiting VerizonFanFest.com, with an choice to carry visitors to their metropolis’s expertise. The occasions are anticipated to collectively draw round 150,000.
Manning, who was a New York Giants quarterback, known as the cross-country experiences the “largest simultaneous Super Bowl party ever.” He believes the thought can succeed, likening the Tremendous Bowl’s broad attraction to the spirit of a nationwide vacation.
“This is a chance to give fans a unique way to enjoy the whole day,” Manning mentioned. “It’s not just the game. It’s music, food, having things for kids and families. It’s about enjoying the experience while watching the game.”
Among the native leisure consists of the Los Angeles Rams’ Mariachi band and the Houston Texans Gameday presentation crew together with appearances in choose cities from deejays comparable to DJ Infared, DJ Jay Ejercito and DJ Cut up Second Sound.
Attendees will be capable of take a selfie from the 50-yard line, spike a soccer ultimately zone, take a tour of the locker rooms, take pleasure in tailgate video games and take part in football-themed actions on the sphere. Followers may have discipline and stadium entry at MetLife, SoFi, Nissan Stadium, Empower Subject at Mile Excessive and at different NFL websites.
“We were thinking through ‘How do we create something that’s truly once-in-a-lifetime?’” mentioned Leslie Berland, govt vice chairman and chief advertising and marketing officer at Verizon. She mentioned the corporate started creating the expertise in September, collaborating carefully with the NFL and its groups.
“Relatively, few people get to experience the Super Bowl live in stadium,” Berland mentioned. “We wanted to do something that’s absolutely never been done before and bring that magic of the Super Bowl to fans across the country.”
For colder local weather cities like Chicago and New York, these in attendance may have the choice to maintain heat in both the stadium’s premium or discipline membership lounge areas.
“They’re all slightly different depending on market, but we definitely took weather into account,” mentioned Nick Kelly, head of partnerships at Verizon.
Manning mentioned the gamers are excited to participate on this expertise, giving them the flexibility to reconnect with town the place they grew to become soccer icons. Round 120 gamers are anticipated to attend.
“It’s an opportunity for them to be a part of something special,” he mentioned. “This involves great players, and they get to be in their local city with fans who love the game of football. It’s special. It’s unique.”
