Share
Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
Super Bowl XLV may be 15 months away, but the clock is ticking for the region’s host committee.
The North Texas Super Bowl Host Committee has raised close to half of its $30 million budget. But it recently had a nine-month drought in which it landed no new $1 million sponsors, and it appears certain to miss an initial goal of signing 15 founding sponsors by the end of 2009.Companies have been reluctant to commit to large-dollar donations, because they don’t have the cash and because it just doesn’t look right when millions have lost their jobs.Bill Lively, executive director of the host committee, remains optimistic that North Texas will land the sponsorship dollars it needs to put on the big game.As he points out, there’s no choice: North Texas promised the National Football League that it would come up with the money to cover security, transportation and other events during Super Bowl week.Lively said he was able to confirm a ninth founding sponsor in the last week of October and has a few more interested donors. He said he’s not ready to announce the identity of the ninth sponsor."We have four companies and one family that we’ve been talking to since the middle of September," he said. "None of those may come in, but at least two of those are very, very promising, and in this business you never know until it’s done."Lively said the committee has covered about $14 million, primarily through nine $1 million founding sponsors and two $1 million grants, for a youth center and service-learning initiatives.The remaining $2 million comes from hotel rebates, visitors bureau contributions and contract revenue from the bid to the NFL, and a $1 million in-kind donation from Corporate Magic. The Dallas-based entertainment company is helping the committee design, manage and run events, including news conferences, events for sponsors and several large parties that the committee is responsible for on Super Bowl weekend."This is the most productive period we have had since the very beginning, before the economy . . . went south," Lively said of the fall. "I think we can realize our goal of finishing up this program sometime early in the first quarter of next year, after the NFL season is over."The 2010 Super Bowl will be in Miami on Feb. 7.Even with the economic troubles, the North Texas committee has far outpaced the Tampa, Fla., committee, which raised less than $8 million to defray security, transportation and event-related costs for the 2009 game.Lively said the fundraising is on schedule. But he and committee Chairman Roger Staubach originally said they expected to sign two more $1 million sponsorships this summer and had wanted to have all 15 founding sponsorships on board by year’s end.Almost all of the sponsorships were announced in 2008, with only one, oilman Boone Pickens, announced this year, making it unlikely that the committee will reach its initial goal. It has been tough sledding for everyone. Few companies can justify spending a million dollars or more on sports sponsorships in a recession. Bank of America and other companies were criticized by shareholders and the media for sponsoring parties and other Super Bowl-related events in Tampa.
@Nyx.CommentBody@