All Systems are Go as Stadium Gets Spruced Up

Like an actress dolled up for the Oscars, University of Phoenix Stadium is undergoing a dramatic makeover to get it ready for prime time.

Windows are being washed and seating areas deep scrubbed. Turquoise and Sedona red Super Bowl decorations are being draped over Cardinals logos. And turf specialists are manicuring new sod recently installed on the dome's 19 million-pound rollout field.

The stadium is going to be seen from a lot of different perspectives by an international television audience, not only from the inside but the architectural marvel that it is from outside as well," said the NFL's Frank Supovitz, the Super Bowl's producer.

He added that it's critical to "show the building to its best advantage."

With close to 1 billion viewers tuning into the Super Bowl worldwide, the NFL is sparing no expense making sure the $455 million Glendale stadium shines.

Four weeks ago, a team of 35 people replaced the field with 1.4 million pounds of new Alabama-grown sod. Since then, the Tifway 419 hybrid Bermuda grass has received round-the-clock care, including maximum sunlight and watering. The NFL finished painting hash marks, the league shield and team logos over the weekend.

"If the grass doesn't look good, the rest of the event doesn't look good," said Jimmy Fox, co-owner of Chandler-based Evergreen Turf, which installed the sod. "It has become a high priority for the NFL to make sure the field looks good."

To motorists driving along Loop 101, it may look like a small city has sprouted around the metallic, UFO-like structure. Media-broadcast compounds and the sprawling NFL Experience amusement park have eaten up whole parking lots. And the NFL has erected a huge white tent on the 8-acre Great Lawn west of the stadium for a 10,000-guest tailgate party.

Meanwhile, a temporary security perimeter, composed of concrete barriers and cyclone fencing, is being installed 300 feet beyond the stadium's walls.

"The stadium itself has grown dramatically in terms of its footprint," said Supovitz, the NFL's senior vice president of events.

Back inside the stadium, seating will be reconfigured to accommodate 70,500 fans, about 7,000 more than the stadium usually holds. Some upper-level seats will be removed to make way for extra media spaces and the NFL's Mission Control-style communications center, responsible for everything from getting the teams to Glendale on time to coordinating commercials with Super Bowl broadcaster Fox.

Jerry Steinberg, the Fox Sports vice president of field operations who is overseeing the setup, said it requires good teammates and a good playbook to pull off a television event on the magnitude of a Super Bowl.