The Cleveland Browns formally broke ground on their new $2.6 billion stadium in Brook Park, Ohio, on April 30. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was in attendance at the ceremony, gave an update on the stadium’s capability to host a Super Bowl.

“I have no doubt that this stadium is going to be Super Bowl quality,” replied Goodell when asked about the possibility of hosting the NFL’s biggest event in Cleveland. “I think the challenge now for this community, now hopefully this stadium and this development is going to be transformative, is how do the rest of the facilities in the community develop?”

Goodell voiced his concerns regarding the infrastructure around the stadium in order to have a successful Super Bowl. He explained that the city needs to have facilities around to welcome approximately 200,000 people.

The first challenge would be having enough hotel rooms, anywhere between 50,000 and 60,000 rooms. Only an estimated 22,000 rooms are available in Cleveland at the moment. Brook Park will also have to build restaurants and supporting amenities to handle the influx of tourists coming into the city.

As of now, the Haslam Sports Group, which owns the Cleveland Browns, plans to develop two hotels around the stadium.

The $2.6 billion and 67,500-capacity venue, named the New Huntington Bank Field stadium, is located near the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. So, another challenge that Goodell sees is the Hopkins Airport’s ability to handle increased traffic.

“Traffic upgrades are in the plans for some local roads and for the I-71 interchange at Snow Road,” reported Rich Exner of Cleveland.com.

The stadium is aiming to open in 2029.

With $600 million of its funding stuck in a class-action lawsuit and the lack of sufficient infrastructure in the suburbs, the timelines can not be finalized yet, according to Commissioner Goodell.

In the meantime, he did give the Browns’ fans something to be excited about.

Roger Goodell Confirms Interest in Bringing NFL Draft Back to Cleveland

Commissioner Goodell did give the Browns’ fans something to be excited about, and that is, the return of the NFL Draft to Northeast Ohio. After the 2021 NFL Draft, which took place in Cleveland right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Goodell answered affirmatively about the second one. 

Due to unsuitable climate, social distancing, and other strict measures, the attendance in Cleveland for the 2021 Draft was just 160,000. The NFL did appreciate Cleveland’s willingness to host in spite of the low economic impact. 

“Jimmy Haslam and I have talked about it a lot. I’ve talked about it with our communities," said Goodell during a panel discussion after the groundbreaking ceremony. "We look forward to coming back here with the draft for sure. My guess is that it’ll be around the same time period as the new stadium’s opening here.”

If Cleveland can pull off the second NFL Draft without any hurdles, it may soon become the newest host of the Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl is scheduled to be played at SoFi Stadium in 2027, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2028, and Allegiant Stadium in 2029. Cleveland’s first possible opportunity to host would therefore be 2030.

Will the Browns be able to build the infrastructure by then? Share your thoughts.

Read more at the Cleveland Browns Community.

Written by

Naomi Grace

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar