The push is on to bring the NFL Super Bowl to Arizona for a fourth time.
The National Football League has Super Bowls slated for 2019 through 2022 with games in Atlanta, Miami, Tampa and a new stadium being built in Los Angeles.
The NFL still needs to pick Super Bowl sites for 2023 and years after that.
Arizona is bidding for that batch including 2023 and regional efforts are being galvanized, according to an executive familiar with the situation.
Dallas, New Orleans, Houston and Santa Clara, California will also likely be bidding on future Super Bowls.
A new stadium being built in Las Vegas for the relocating Oakland Raiders will also likely be in the Super bowl mix.
University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale hosted Super Bowls in 2008 and 2015.
Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe hosted the Super Bowl in 1996.
The Arizona Cardinals are spearheading regional efforts to attract another Super Bowl. But the effort, like past ones, also includes tourism and economic development groups as well as business leaders and elected officials.
Beau Lane is founder and CEO of the LaneTerralever advertising agency in Phoenix. Lane and his firm have been at the forefront of previous Super Bowl bids.
“This town is really built for Super Bowls,” said Lane.
The Phoenix region has already hosted three of them as well as College Football Playoff and championship games as well as the NCAA Final Four last year.
This weekend’s Super Bowl in cold Minnesota could also encourage the NFL to go back in earnest to warm weather locations. Lane said the NFL process for awarding Super Bowls is moving away from the more formal and time-consuming presentations.
Still, bids need to include and leverage regional backing and support from the private sector and elected officials.
This season’s Super Bowl in Minnesota saw the Twin Cities raise more than $50 million. Last year’s Super Bowl in Houston saw a $70 million fundraising effort to put on the game.
Scott Dunn, senior communications director for the Arizona Office of Tourism, said the tourism industry will back the Super Bowl recruitment effort.
An Arizona State University study found that the 2015 Super Bowl had a $720 million economic impact on the state.
The Cardinals have not yet responded to a request for comment on the Super Bowl effort.