DENVER (KDVR) — Empower Field at Mile High Stadium was never going to host a Super Bowl without a roof; however, those plans might change following the announcement of plans for a new Denver Broncos stadium.
There are hundreds of steps that need to be done before a city and stadium can host a Super Bowl, but Denver was never in the running for one big reason — there was no roof at Empower Field.
A 157-page document of NFL confidential demands was released in 2013 and outlined some bid specifications and requirements to host a Super Bowl, ranging from stadium needs to hotels and transportation.
Regardless of whether Denver met all these requirements or not, Empower Field at Mile High Stadium was ruled out on some of the first pages, where it stated that a climate-controlled domed stadium is needed if the historical average daily temperature is below 50 degrees during the week of the big game.
However, with plans for a new stadium with a retractable roof, those circumstances could change.
On Tuesday, the Broncos, Mayor Mike Johnston and Gov. Jared Polis finally announced their preferred site for the new stadium with a retractable roof at Burnham Yard. The city said this could lead to a chance at hosting the Super Bowl and Final Four, while still giving the Broncos a home-field advantage playing in the snow.
If the new stadium is built and it has a retractable roof, Denver is one step closer to hosting a Super Bowl, but there are still several other requirements it would have to meet.
According to the list of demands, the stadium needs to have a minimum capacity of 70,000 seats, a specific electrical output, field lighting, a press box sound system, a video control room, an entertainment staging area, more than 35,000 parking spaces, hundreds of rental and for-hire cars, and 35% as many hotel rooms as the number of stadium seats in a 60-minute distance — and these are just some of the requirements.
It’s not just the stadium that needs to meet Super Bowl requirements — the government needs to guarantee things as well, such as clean zones, public safety, ticket resale laws, tax exemptions and other requirements.
While the city said the new proposed stadium could open up the opportunity for a Super Bowl, it all depends on whether the stadium meets the rest of the requirements and if the rest of Denver can provide the correct resources. However, this new proposed stadium is already closer to hosting the Super Bowl than Empower Field.