’15 Pro Bowl site could be picked soon

The site of the 2015 Pro Bowl could be settled as soon as this month’s spring meetings amid continuing signs the game might be headed to Glendale, Ariz.

NFL owners are scheduled to meet March 23-26 in Orlando, Fla.

With the Super Bowl scheduled for Glendale on Feb. 1, the NFL has explored placing the Pro Bowl there the week before, on Jan. 25. The NFL last packaged the two events in 2010, when South Florida hosted the games.

It was the only time since 1980 the Pro Bowl was played away from Aloha Stadium. The NFL has said it is considering continuing the concept in years when the Super Bowl is played at a warm-weather site.

An NFL spokesman has said the league "continues to review the process" and hasn’t made a decision.

Monday’s Glendale Star quoted a source as saying the "possible move (of the Pro Bowl) is an olive branch to improve relations with the city."

Meanwhile, Mike McCartney, Hawaii Tourism Authority president and chief executive, said in a statement, "The HTA and the NFL continue to be in discussions regarding the future of the Pro Bowl for 2015 and beyond. The format of having the Pro Bowl rotate to different cities, including Hawaii, has been an option in our discussions with the NFL."

McCartney said, "We would like to see the Pro Bowl call Hawaii home for the long-term and will continue to work with the NFL to maintain our more than 30-year relationship."

Todd Sanders, president and chief executive of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, told the Star-Advertiser, "I think we would definitely want to look at this (the Pro Bowl), obviously, as an opportunity to add on to the excitement of the Super Bowl and to highlight everything that Phoenix and Arizona have to offer."

Sanders said, "We’re doing some research on that (Pro Bowl visitors) with folks at the Super Bowl Committee. My sense is that it will probably keep people here a little bit longer and then draw some new folks as well."

A Phoenix Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman said, "A Holy Cross (College) study said while the Pro Bowl might influence someone’s decision about when to come to the city, it doesn’t influence their decision whether to come. The only thing affected is the timing. And with the Super Bowl being a week later, the Pro Bowl might increase guests’ vacation time which will increase their spending and, in turn, help the economy."

The HTA said the 2013 Pro Bowl, the last game for which figures were available, attracted 17,800 visitors to Hawaii, resulted in $26 million in visitor spending impact and $2.7 million in visitor-generated tax.

The state paid the NFL $4 million plus $152,000 in operating costs to hold the game here in 2014.

The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, a private, nonprofit Arizona corporation, is responsible for raising $25 million to hold the Super Bowl.