The National Football League voted to stage its 2010 championship game in New York City, provided the stadium that is part of the city's bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics gets built.
The NFL club owners voted 31-1 on Wednesday to play the Super Bowl in the 75,000-seat facility proposed for the West Side of the borough of Manhattan, which has a projected cost of nearly US$2 billion and has drawn considerable opposition from numerous groups.
The stadium is the centerpiece of New York's Olympics bid and if constructed would become the home of the New York Jets gridiron club.
"Today is a landmark day," Jets owner Woody Johnson said, "and the 2010 Super Bowl in the New York Sports and Convention Center will be a historic event. We're thrilled about this announcement."
Earlier this week, the Jets substantially increased their bid for the land on which the stadium with a retractable roof would be built would be built to US$720 million.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns the land that currently is used as train yards, will choose among three bidders on March 31.
There also has been substantial opposition to the project from neighborhood action groups and others who question why New York's police, firefighters and teachers are without collective bargaining agreements, but the city can spend about US$500 million for a stadium.
Both Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Governor George Pataki favor the project.
"We're thrilled with the National Football League's decision to award the 2010 Super Bowl to New York City," Bloomberg said. "It is an enormous vote of confidence in our plans to build the New York Sports and Convention Center.
When it 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."
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