ARLINGTON (WBAP/KLIF)- The NFL is eyeing Arlington’s AT&T Stadium as an emergency back up host for this year’s Super Bowl should COVID-19 restrictions keep the game from being played in California.
WBAP/KLIF’s media partner WFAA-TV confirmed the information saying the NFL reached out to the stadium to check it’s availability.
For now, the game is scheduled for February 13th at the brand new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood California, outside of Los Angeles.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told WFAA that the NFL indeed has looked into backup venues for this year’s Super Bowl — as, he says, it does every year.
“We plan on playing Super Bowl LVI as scheduled at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 13,” McCarthy said. “As part of our standard contingency planning process that we conduct for all regular and postseason games, we have contacted several clubs to inquire about stadium availability in the event we cannot play the Super Bowl as scheduled due to weather-related issues or unforeseen circumstances. Our planning process for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles is ahead of schedule and we look forward to hosting the Super Bowl there to culminate another fantastic NFL season for our fans and clubs.”
A source with the City of Arlington also told WFAA that city officials proactively sent messages to the NFL in mid-December as COVID case counts began to spike as a result of the Omicron variant, stating that Arlington stands ready to step in and host the game if necessary.
As of now, there is no event scheduled for the Cowboy’s home field on Super Bowl Sunday.
AT&T Stadium last hosted the Super Bowl in 2011, when the Packers and Steelers met in Super Bowl XLV. In all, 103,219 fans attended that game — a figure just shy of an all-time Super Bowl record.
AT&T Stadium is currently leading the league in 2021 NFL attendance, averaging 93,421 fans per home game.
(Copyright 2022 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This Report Contains Material From WFAA-TV)