49ers Have No Immediate Plans To Share Stadium With Raiders
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49ers Would Be Willing To Consider
Sharing Stadium With Another Team |
Following a report Saturday in the San Jose Mercury News that suggested the 49ers and Raiders could co-develop a shared stadium, the 49ers said such a plan is "not something we are focused on." The statement: "If at some point it makes sense to share the stadium with another professional sports team and a workable option emerges, we would be willing to consider it. But that is not our current objective." The team said the current economic climate creates "new factors that need to be addressed" in plans for a new stadium in Santa Clara, but the project "continues to progress on multiple fronts" (THE DAILY). 49ers VP/Communications Lisa Lang Saturday insisted that the team's plans to build a 68,000-seat stadium in Santa Clara are "moving forward," despite a report that the plans are "in trouble because of the worsening economy." But Lang acknowledged that plans to "break ground in 2010 and open the stadium by 2012 may have to be adjusted." Lang: "At this phase in the project, we are looking for entitlements to the land and approval of the project, so the economic conditions are not a factor at this phase. Once we move into the financial phase, we expect the credit markets will have recovered and we will be able to finance the project." In S.F., Marisa Lagos noted the 49ers "still have to persuade" Cedar Fair Entertainment, which owns Great America theme park in Santa Clara, to support the project. Cedar Fair has said that it "wants financial concessions in exchange for its support, including unilateral control over stadium scheduling during Great America's season and parking revenue from the stadium." Lang said the team has "not made much progress with Cedar Fair." Lang: "It remains a hurdle" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 1/11). Still, 49ers COO Andy Dolich said, “The city of Santa Clara and their citizens in continued polling show they are in favor of this. It’s not something that’s going to be an additional tax on them. Whatever Santa Clara is spending is redevelopment money, which can only go to projects like this” (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/12 issue).
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49ers Still Focused On Proposed Stadium
In Santa Clara Despite Economic Concerns |
ONLY OPTION? In San Jose, Mike Swift cited NFL sources and sports economists as saying that "combining resources with the Oakland Raiders ... may be the only way for the 49ers to overcome frozen financial markets to fund a new stadium." 49ers officials Friday said that they "remain focused on starting construction of a new $854[M] stadium in 2010," but they acknowledged that the "economy and other factors 'are making hitting our target more difficult.'" The team officials said that while there are "no immediate plans to join forces with the Raiders, the 49ers would be willing to discuss sharing a stadium 'if a workable option emerges.'" Sources said that the 49ers' plan to "begin construction next year for a 2012 opening" in Santa Clara is "almost certainly defunct." N.Y.-based Inner Circle Sports CEO Robert Tilliss said of a potential shared stadium, "Economically it makes sense, but you've got to get people to agree to live together and live harmoniously. It's complicated. The Jets and Giants have been living together for awhile, so they know what they are dealing with, but with [Raiders Owner] Al Davis in the mix, I think it's challenging." Raiders Chief Exec Amy Trask declined to comment about the possibility of a shared stadium (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 1/10).
TOUGH TO COEXIST: In California, Cam Inman wrote, "As practical and economical as it would be to build a stadium the Raiders and 49ers can share, I just don't see it happening." Inman: "Do you really think the Raiders and 49ers ownership groups are friendly enough to welcome such an unlikely and gargantuan union, even in these desperate times?" (CONTRA COSTA TIMES, 1/10). In S.F., Ray Ratto wrote under the header, "Only Thing Raiders, 49ers Share Is Contempt." There is "only one way a shared stadium plan might work in the foreseeable future, and painfully enough it is by retrofitting and gussying up Candlestick Park, and drastically improving the access roads to and from the grand old dump." But while a "prettified Candlestick could solve the fan base issues, neither the 49ers or Raiders would see much advantage in employing a stadium that neither of them own or control" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 1/11). In San Jose, Tim Kawakami wrote, "In a two-team situation, there's always a No. 1 team and a No. 1a team. So who's 1a in 49ers/Raiders? Just start with that conundrum, realize that you're dealing with Al and [49ers Owners the York family] ... and tell me that's an easy one. I doubt that Al envisions ending his tenure in a home-split situation, squabbling over suite-percentages with [49ers President] Jed York" (MERCURYNEWS.com, 1/10).
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