Chris Townsend

On Tuesday, June 8th voters living in the city of Santa Clara, CA headed to the polls just like the rest of us across the country.  Only one difference, they had a decision on whether to build a new state-of-the-art stadium for the San Francisco 49ers.  This critical decision for the new stadium has been decided overwhelmingly as passed by the people of Santa Clara (60% - Yes, 40% - No).

Once the decision was made. the 49ers had contractors out at the new stadium site constructing a billboard declaring the area the "Future Home of the San Francisco 49ers".  With the passing of the new stadium measure, President/CEO Jed York held a press conference call earlier today.  Here are some of Jed York's comments from the conference call:


49ers President/CEO Jed York
Conference Call - June 9, 2010
San Francisco 49ers

On whether it is still an option to build the stadium on the larger parking lot or are they committed to the smaller lot:

"The environmental impact report allows us to do either. We've looked to the smaller lot based on Cedar Fair and Great America's concerns. Actually, as we got into it, we like the site a little bit more probably because of its proximity to the training facility. I think that makes for a better experience for our players, not just on game days, but on the other days when they are just here practicing."

On how the stadium will be financed from here on out:

"Yes, I think we've been pretty clear with all of our work that there's going to be three pieces of financing. Obviously, the stadium, authority, which will be selling naming rights, they'll be selling concession agreements, stadium builder's licenses. You have the investment from Santa Clara where you've got money coming from the redevelopment agency and you've got money coming from the hotels and then you've got the 49ers who are responsible for - and the NFL - that are responsible for close to $500 million and that is looking at the NFL financing and it's looking at the financing that the 49ers can get on their own. I think the thing that people need to understand on NFL financing, the G3 [stadium finance] program doesn't exist any longer, but the precursor to the G3 program, the club seat waiver is still available. And I think you've heard from [NFL] Commissioner [Roger] Goodell, that he wants to support stadiums going forward. Obviously, we are looking at extending a collective bargaining agreement now. I assume that will be a piece of the collective bargaining agreement and if not there's still that club seat waiver program that we can borrow money, using the visiting team's share of our club seats."

On how the spending is impacted relative to football operations:

"I think they are two very separate pieces. Trying to win on the field and trying to build a new stadium are not the same. It's a different budget. We have a budget for what our player compensation is going to be and I think we've shown we want to make sure we extend our younger players. We want to make sure we go out and add the right free agents and we are going to continue to do that. Playing at Candlestick hasn't held us back from going out and signing our own players and going out into the free agent market and bringing in guys that we think can put us over the top and get us back to another Super Bowl."

On what one of the amenities is and that fans will not have to skip a suite level to get to the upper deck:

"That's one of the big things. If you don't have two rings of suites going around the stadium and then a traditional club mezzanine level, we're able to drop our upper deck by 30-40 feet and bring it closer to the field and that's just the geometry of building the football stadium. When you look at some of the amenities for the non suite fans, you have much bigger concourses where you don't have to worry about walking into a suite corridor or where you can't get through a suite corridor. You've got open concourses, you've got open views and beer gardens and those types of things. For the suite patrons, it's a lot easier to get them food, get them service, because all of your suites are centralized in one area. I think it's very important that you can consume - that's where you can consume the majority of your energy is in that suite concourse in club seats and those types of things. If all of that is comprised in about one-third of your building, you're able to be a much more sustainable building, but you're also able to be sure that you service your patrons. You don't have to build three or four kitchens. You can build one kitchen and get food directly to those patrons."

On whether the amusement park will be a major opposition going forward:

"I don't think it will be a major problem. I've had conversations with them in the past and we're confident we can come up with a resolution."