Super Bowl site gets ready for big game

INDIANAPOLIS - The National Football League prepares for the Super Bowl all year long. So the day after the Indianapolis Colts' final loss of the season, the plan for Super Bowl XLVI on paper began being put into action at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis.

"At first this is a construction project. The contractors from the NFL come in," said Mike Fox, Lucas Oil Stadium director.

The work begins on the outside of the stadium in the parking lot. They're erecting temporary structures and gates with electricity to accommodate the thousands of fans and members of the media that need to be screened for security heading into the stadium.

"The first reps of the NFL moved in Jan. 2 and they will not leave until Feb. 15. A lot of people think you just throw a ball out and they play a game, and it just magically happens. That is clearly not the case," said Fox.

The next phase of stadium preps will be inside, where Lucas Oil Stadium officials have already removed some seats so work stations for media coverage can be put into place. In other areas - that normally are reserved for wheelchairs - seats have been added.

At Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium, more than 95,000 fans were in attendance. This year the number will be dramatically less.

"We're right at our normal capacity. We're about 67,700 all-in," said Fox.

That is about 5,000 fewer fans who normally pack in to watch the Green and Gold at Lambeau Field, where capacity is 72,500.

The NFL originally planned to add thousands of seats on temporary structures, like it did last year. But that plan at Cowboys Stadium backfired when several thousand temporary seats did not meet safety standards and were closed, leaving some fans with no where to sit.

"How can you get that moment back? How can you put a price on that moment? A father-son experience is gone," John Mazurek, Sr., told us last year after the Super Bowl.

This year the NFL is only planning to add 200 additional seats. They will be part of suites set up in the plaza area of the stadium.

With fewer fans, traffic flow likely will be improved. And that will help cut down on the long lines that plagued some fans last year in North Texas.

"What the NFL has done is they've embraced what Indianapolis has with our Super Service Campaign, which is our ability and desire to reach out to people and make them feel welcome here in Indianapolis," said Dianna Boyce, Super Bowl XLVI Host Committee member.

The NFL hired Disney to help train the hundreds of game day volunteers in customer service to ensure all runs smoothly.

"There will be several training sessions between now and Feb. 5 and I feel it's going to pay off for the league," said Fox.

As each day gets closer to the big day, Lucas Oil Stadium will continue to be transformed with signage and décor, preparing for its Super Bowl debut.

"We're looking forward to really showing off our city and our stadium," added Fox.

The stadium will also play host to Media Day the Tuesday before the Super Bowl, and this year fans will be welcome to check it out for the first time. Stadium officials say that will give them a practice run with security and getting fans to where they need to go so all runs smoothly on the big day.