Santa Clara committee pushes community-driven plan for 2026 Super Bowl and World Cup activity

At a meeting of the Santa Clara City Council’s Economic Development and Marketing Committee, city officials, business leaders and community stakeholders discussed a community-driven activation plan to link local events, branding and business support to major 2026 sports events that will bring global attention and visitors to the region.

The meeting centered on three priorities staff described as communications and city branding, community engagement and activities for residents, and economic development and business support. Committee chair and mayoral representative Chair Gilmore said the effort should be “a community driven process” and called stakeholders “the true architects of what we're gonna build together.”

Why it matters: Santa Clara hosts venues and organizations that will be focal points for international sports visitors in 2026. Committee members and stakeholders emphasized both maximizing economic opportunity for local businesses and ensuring residents — including families and youth — can take part through free or low-cost programming.

Staff presentation and proposed activities

Liz Klotz, assistant city manager, summarized staff priorities and a proposed timeline: refine an activation plan from stakeholder input, develop an implementation road map, identify leads for major activities, and launch a branding campaign by the fall. Staff suggested several activity types to amplify existing programs: community concerts and festivals, volunteer ambassador programs, youth sports and STEM camps, library…