New report says Levi’s Stadium brings in billions but city council member calls out management
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The 49ers are heading into their 10th season at Levi’s Stadium. A new report released by the team says the stadium has generated over $2 billion for the local community.
Concerts, major sporting events like the Super Bowl. You name it, and Levi’s Stadium has probably hosted it or plans to. The 49ers president, Al Guido, said the team’s success reverberates throughout the entire city.
According to a new report compiled by Sports Economics, Levi’s Stadium had one its most successful economic years from April 2022 to March of this year. Over the last 10 years, Levi’s Stadium has generated billions of dollars.
"To achieve over $2 billion of economic impact, knowing that two years of that was really impacted by the pandemic, is phenomenal. We just wanted to say thank you to all the people that helped us pull that off," Guido said.
In addition to sporting events, Levi’s Stadium has also hosted some of the world’s biggest artists like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran and Elton John. Since its opening, 8.7 million people have attended events, and about $470 million in revenue has been generated for local municipalities. Still, the city of Santa Clara and the 49ers have been at odds about how that revenue has been divided.
City Councilmember Kathy Watanabe posted a message on social media saying, "If there was so much economic benefit, why is homelessness a problem in the Bay Area? Stadium management has taken millions of dollars…through the tax appeal process."
"If you just look at their overall benefit, their debt from a perspective, the SBLs that we sold in this building went directly to pay down debt. Now we’ve accelerated those payments so much that the city saved $100 million in interest expense that they would’ve paid because we’ve done so well on the building," Guido said.
Watanabe also referred to the report as 49er propaganda. In 2026, Levi’s Stadium is set to host Super Bowl 60 and the FIFA World Cup. Guido says despite some criticism, he's looking forward to what's to come.
"Just those two events alone in one calendar year, in my mind, will drive roughly over a half billion dollars of economic impact. That’s not even taking into account the San Francisco 49er games we’ll play," Guido said.
KTVU also reached out to the City of Santa Clara about this report. They said they received it from the 49ers last night, and they’re reviewing it but for now, they have no comment.
