Levi stadium will open to soccer

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Oct 31, 2013, 10:51am PDT Updated: Oct 31, 2013, 1:36pm PDT

San Jose Earthquakes President on why 49ers Levi's Stadium will open with soccer

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The San Francisco 49ers have set an opening date for their $1.3 billion Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, thanks to a new partnership with Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes.

Lauren Hepler

Economic Development Reporter- Silicon Valley Business Journal

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After years in the making, the San Francisco 49ers have set an official opening date for the new $1.3 billion Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
But hold your horses, football fans.
Major League Soccer team the San Jose Earthquakes will actually play the opening game at the stadium on Aug. 2, 2014, according to a news release Thursday morning. The game is part of a partnership between the soccer team and the Santa Clara Stadium Authority — the quasi-public body that loaned the 49ers $850 million for the stadium and technically owns the venue.
The Earthquakes will take on Seattle Sounders FC for the inaugural game at Levi's Stadium. News of the 49ers partnership also comes after the Earthquakes' own privately financed San Jose stadium hit a construction delay that pushed their opening from 2014 to 2015.
Earthquakes President Dave Kaval told me he has been in close contact with 49ers COO Paraag Marathe, a friend and former business school classmate at Stanford, as both sports executives work on their stadium projects.
The game against Seattle was selected because of the potential to draw both 49ers and Earthquakes fans, since each team has a heated rivalry with teams from the city, Kaval said. He declined to detail any revenue-sharing agreements between the organizations.
Kaval hopes the game will build on his team's increasing momentum winning new fans, which he said is already demonstrated by increasing merchandise and ticket sales. If all goes well, he said the partnership could continue with more soccer at Levi's Stadium.
"It's certainly a possibility," Kaval said, floating the idea of international exhibition games against European soccer clubs or a showdown with the Mexican national team.

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Lauren Hepler covers economic development, sports, and hospitality for the Silicon Valley Business Journal. She can be reached at 408.299.1820

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