New York City - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Governor George E. Pataki today released a letter from NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue indicating that a decision to award New York a Super Bowl could come as early as next spring. The NFL also said it would consider waiving the rule that requires a team to play two seasons in a new stadium before being eligible to host a Super Bowl. As a result, the New York Sports and Convention Center could host a Super Bowl within a year of its 2009 opening. At today’s owner’s meeting in Florida, Commissioner Tagliabue indicated the proposal to host a Super Bowl in New York "was well received by NFL owners."

"New York City and the Super Bowl are a natural fit - the world’s most popular sporting event belongs in the ’World’s Second Home’," said Mayor Bloomberg. "When the New York Sports and Convention Center is complete, New York will finally have a world-class facility for the country’s top sports events along with the economic activity and jobs that come with them. This facility, which will have a retractable roof, will be a home for the New York Jets, a central venue for the 2012 Olympic Games if we are fortunate enough to be selected, and an unforgettable location with unparalleled energy and spirit for an incredible Super Bowl, which alone would generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity."

"This demonstrates the extent to which Convention Corridor will give New York City the opportunity to vie for hundreds of exciting events like the Super Bowl, that in turn will create millions of dollars in economic activity," said Governor Pataki. "I have no doubt New York City would make a spectacular host for the Super Bowl given that we have so much to offer in terms of hotels, entertainment, restaurants, and with the construction of the Sports and Convention Center - a first-class sports venue. The Sports and Convention Center is a smart public-private investment in New York’s future. I’m pleased that the NFL - and its 32 owners - shares our enthusiasm for this project."

Click here for Paul Tagliabue's Letter (PDF)

The New York Jets are pleased to report that New York City became a finalist for the 2012 Olympic Games when International Olympic Committee announced the Candidate Cities this morning.

As you may know, the proposed New York Sports and Convention Center, the future home of the New York Jets, will also serve as the Olympic Stadium and will host Track and Field events as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies if New York is selected to host the games in 2012. This announcement builds on our momentum to break ground on the New York Sports and Convention Center in advance of the final IOC decision on July 6, 2005 with an opening for the 2009 football season.

Today, we join all New Yorkers in celebrating this achievement. The New York Olympic Games would have a profound impact on our city. With new and vibrant neighborhoods in Midtown Manhattan and Queens, new recreational and sports facilities, and a great environmental legacy, as well as tens of thousands of new jobs and a regional economic impact exceeding $11 billion, the Games will have a transforming impact across New York City.

The New York Jets are proud to have played a key role in supporting New York's Olympic Bid and providing a venue for the Olympic Stadium. The coming months will present unique challenges for our city as we compete in this exciting international competition. We hope that you will join us and many thousands of New Yorkers in working to turn our city's Olympic dream into reality.

Olympic Stadium Daytime (67KB)	Olympic Stadium Nighttime (136KB)	Olympic Stadium at Night (75KB)

It's no secret that New York City is the greatest city in the world. It is the home to the best and brightest of nearly everything: media, finance, art, advertising, healthcare, philanthropy, fashion and technology. It's all right here.

One thing New York does not have, however, is a sports facility that can compare to the design and amenities of the new generation of stadiums built across the country. The last time a sports facility was constructed in New York City was more than 40 years ago. The New York Jets propose to lead the development of the New York Sports and Convention Center (NYSCC) -- returning home to their roots in Manhattan and creating a truly unique venue able to host big-time events ranging from the Super Bowl to World Cup soccer matches to headline concerts and conventions. The NYSCC will earn its place among the great venues of New York City past and present: Ebbets Field, Yankee Stadium, and Madison Square Garden. Beyond sports, the New York Sports and Convention Center will create a positive impact on the environment, on the neighborhood and on the economy for the entire City.

This positive economic impact is in part driven by the multiple configurations and uses of the NYSCC. It is more than just a stadium. With the ability to retract and move portions of the seating bowl, the NYSCC will be able to hold conventions on an exhibit floor, professional soccer in an open air-stadium and major events including the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and political conventions in each of the configurations. The NYSCC is projected to contribute more than $75 million annually to the tax revenues of New York City and State.

The New York Jets are committed to making a significant investment to move back into New York City. This private investment will be leveraged by the public investment in infrastructure, transportation, parks and housing to help create a new bustling neighborhood. The New York Jets look forward to providing the catalyst to a one-of-a kind facility that will serve as the centerpiece of one of New York City's greatest revitalization projects, transforming a long-neglected part of the city into a new Hudson Yards to benefit all New Yorkers.

The NYSCC will have something for everyone in the neighborhood. Beyond the projected schedule of 17 stadium events, 30 conventions, and two super-events per year, the Center will host daily events and activities for the members of the community and visitors.

Along 34th Street, the full city block will be dedicated to a grand public space, ceremoniously connecting the Hudson River and the Highline to 34th Street. The revitalized 34th Street corridor will feature a promenade transforming one of the city's most overcrowded streets to provide pedestrians with a peaceful and stunning view of the stadium and river, amid trees, gardens and benches. The promenade will also conveniently provide street level access through a series of ramps and stairs around the Center and onto the Highline as it threads its way south.

On 34th Street and 12th Avenue, a new museum will be integrated into the Center to provide a venue to memorialize the Olympic Games in New York City. Located at street level on the building's western edge with views onto the Hudson River, this museum will become a new cultural attraction for the neighborhood. Additionally, the Center will house a 200-seat community theater for a range of community events and activities, from local theater to community board meetings. An elevated waterfront promenade featuring cafes and restaurants will extend along 12th Avenue bridging over the West Side Highway to connect into the park system around the NYSCC.

It is no coincidence that the site of the NYSCC is within reach of the region's mass transportation hubs: Penn Station, Port Authority Bus Terminal, and Grand Central Terminal. Patrons attending an event at the NYSCC on 34th Street and 11th Avenue will have nine distinct modes of mass transit to choose from: NY Waterways ferries, LIRR, MetroNorth, NYC subway, NYC Bus, PATH trains, NJ Transit, NJ Bus, and Express bus services.

New York Jets football games represent the peak use for the NYSCC. The team draws season ticket holders from across the region, with 40% in New Jersey, 20% in Long Island, 25% in NYC, and 15% from Upstate. This site provides the broadest range of transit alternatives. For example, patrons from New Jersey will be able to take NJ Transit to Penn Station, NJ bus to Port Authority, or even the NY Waterways ferry to a gameday pier.

Detailed surveys of fans and existing facilities in New York and around the country lead experts on traffic and transportation to project that 70% of patrons will take mass transit to the Center. The remaining 30% who will drive will be distributed over the bridges and tunnels into Manhattan. For example the studies indicate that 1,500 vehicles will use the Lincoln Tunnel, a number that represents only one third of the vehicles that pass through the tunnel on average every peak weekday hour.

The New York Sports & Convention Center will set the highest standards of renewable design and sustainable development for the new Hudson Yards neighborhood. In fact, the NYSCC will be the most environmentally friendly stadium in the world. The NYSCC will use innovative green technologies to harness the powers of the sun, wind and rain. An array of photo-voltaic solar collectors and 36 rooftop wind turbines will generate electricity. Rainwater will be recycled and even the energy of the Hudson River will be used to assist in the cooling of the building.

The construction of the NYSCC will generate significant financial benefits for New York. The project will create 18,000 construction jobs and approximately 8,500 permanent jobs. In addition, the incremental economic activity created by the NYSCC will increase the direct tax revenues of the City and the State by approximately $80 million per year. The daily activity created by the NYSCC is an important component of the transformation of the Hudson Yards, providing a stream of patrons to the new retail, restaurants and commercial space.

The NYSCC is not just a stadium. Award-winning environmental design, creation of more than 25,000 temporary and permanent jobs, increases in tax revenues and additional convention and mega-event space are just some of the many reasons that NYSCC will be the centerpiece of the new Hudson Yards neighborhood.