Super Bowl XLII - What You Need to Know

About Glendale

Glendale is awakening to the realization that the little town is becoming a major sports destination. With the new Cardinal's Stadium, and the 2008 Super Bowl, Glendale is becoming known for more than festivals, antique shops and historical areas.

The new University of Phoenix (Formerly Cardinal's) Stadium with the retractable roof and retractable grass that has people talking. Yes, retractable grass! The grass field remains outside the stadium in the sun until game day getting the maximum amount of sunshine and nourishment, eliminating humidity problems inside the stadium and providing unrestricted access to the stadium floor for events and staging. The natural grass playing surface is contained in a retractable, 12-million pound tray that will be 234 feet wide by 400 feet long, the first of its kind in North America.

All About the New Stadium

To us locals, the stadium resembles a giant spaceship that is considering taking off from a rural Arizona field. But here is the the truth from stadium designers:

Design Elements

Although roll-out natural grass playing fields have been used successfully in venues across Europe and Asia, Glendale's combination retractable roof and roll-out field will be the first of its kind in North America. In addition, the stadium is aligned along a slight northwest to southeast axis to offer the maximum sun exposure for the grass field and maximum shade for stadium patrons.

Retractable Roof

The facility has two large panels that will retract to uncover the entire playing field and has been designed to provide the right balance of sun on the field and shade in the seats. An open roof will allow fans to take advantage of Arizona's world famous climate and clear blue skies, but when closed will allow the building to host large conventions, trade shows, concerts, as well as other indoor events.

Roll Out Field

The stadium’s natural grass field will roll out of the facility where it will reside most of the year and get its nourishment, maintenance, and grooming. The field tray will be 234 feet wide by 400 feet long, and take approximately 45 minutes to move into/out of the stadium. The 152,000 square-foot concrete stadium floor will have a utility grid embedded in it so as to easily accommodate various events..

Seating Options

The facility has over 63,000 permanent seats and capacity can be expanded to 73,000 for events such as the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and future Super Bowls. Seating options include:

Total of 88 luxury suites on two levels (seating for approx. 1,500 patrons). Official Seating Chart for Super Bowl XLII

Places to Stay in the Glendale Area

Hotel rooms will be at a premium. Here is our listing of nearby hotels.

Nearby Towns Adding Hotel Rooms

Super Bowl visitors have new hotel options in Surprise. Here's a list of Surprise, AZ hotels and motels.

Superbowl Craziness

There will be many related events during Superbowl weekend in Glendale. Not to go unnoticed is the addition of a "Lingerie Bowl" the big event of the LFL (Lingerie Football League) where busty, sexy, and scantily clad women from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas play football. As one of the "athletes" said, 'how could you not have fun playing!' Who says the Phoenix area has no taste!

All About the Super Bowl