49ers Celebrate New Stadium In Style

49ers Celebrate New Stadium In Style
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Photo by 49ers

San Francisco, CA - The wait is over, Levi's Stadium ribbon cutting ceremony took place yesterday. Commissioner Roger Goodell, Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, Mayor of Santa Clara Jamie Matthews, CEO and founder of Levi's Strauss Charles Bergh helped 49ers CEO Jed York cut the ribbon to their brand new 1.2 billion stadium.

"This has been a long time in the making," said York.

An emotional York thanked his family, friends and all of those who helped bring this dream to fruition. He even brought out the hundreds of construction workers who worked countless hours to build the posh stadium that holds 68,500 seats and can increase to 75,000 for the upcoming Super Bowl in 2016.

It's the first stadium in Silicon Valley, the stadium has 10 private clubs, features 165 luxury seats, 9,000 club seats and has a green roof-top deck that sits atop the press box that includes solar panels. The stadium is the first LEED Gold Certified in the NFL for its environmentally friendly design. The ceremony included a posh reception hosting some of the top foods that will be served during the season.

"The stadium reflects the greatness of the region, the technology and the innovation," said Goodell. This is the first pro stadium in California since the 1960's."

Despite the disappointment of the teams move from San Francisco where fans have supported the franchise through the decades. The city of Santa Clara and the 49ers have provided various ways for fans to commute. The parking lot has approximately 30,000 parking spaces compared to Candlestick's 18,000.

"We had a vision of what we wanted to do with this stadium," John York said. "It has superseded what I could ever imagine, so Jed (John's son) has done a tremendous job."

Along with Harbaugh, players Patrick Willis, Mike Lupati, Kassim Osgood and Joe Staley (who signed a two-year contract extension through 2019 yesterday), got a tour after the ceremony before reporting for training camp next week. Rookies and players can arrive as early as tomorrow.

"It's amazing, the locker room is huge," said Lupati. "But we're here to work so we won't get the same use of the stadium as the fans."

Now that the new stadium has been blessed, it's up to the team to bring home a Super Bowl just as the team did during the Candlestick years when the 49ers were a dynasty. The memories the team left behind is something they'd have to duplicate at their new home. After reaching the NFC Championship last season, the 49ers have no doubt that they'll bring home that Lombardi trophy in the near future.

"Levi's Stadium is the best stadium in the world for the best fans," York said. "I can't wait for the 49ers faithful to enjoy this in person, and now it's time to make some new memories in our new home."

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