SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It’s been quite a year for new 49ers CEO Al Guido, from the job promotion to hosting the Super Bowl and World Cup — 68,527 people flooded Levi’s Stadium to watch Austria and Jordan last week — to having his passport ready for his team’s games in Australia and Mexico this season.
It’s not too surprising, though, considering …
“I believe we are the globe’s team,” Guido said. “I can show you a ton of different data and metrics that prove that. That we are the most popular franchise in the NFL across the globe.”
The 49ers have 5 million to 6 million fans internationally, according to the NFL, and are a top-five NFL team in nine countries — No. 1 in Mexico and the United Arab Emirates and No. 2 in Australia. The team app has been downloaded in close to 200 countries.
It’s why, while he has some concerns, Guido understands the league’s push and the importance of the team’s international footprint.
“The league has embarked on an international strategy to grow the game of football,” he said. “And there’s no doubt about it from a data perspective — it’s working. There’s more kids playing the game — tackle and flag — than has ever been done before.”
The 46-year-old Guido has helped establish Levi’s Stadium as a premier global sports destination, and despite being named CEO in February, his role hasn’t changed much after a decade as the team president.
“Al’s vision, partnership and steady leadership have positioned the 49ers for success today and well into the future,” 49ers owner Jed York said.
Guido was also on the Bay Area Host Committee for Super Bowl LX, which had an estimated $720 million in total economic activity across the Bay Area region, according to the BAHC. That tripled the impact of Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara in 2016.
While some complained about the distance between events in San Francisco and the activities and game in Santa Clara, Guido expects the Bay Area to be in the regular rotation of hosting Super Bowls.
While Al Guido, left, has some concerns, he understands the NFL’s push for more international exposure.
“By multiple standards, it’s the most successful Super Bowl in history,” Guido said. “I think what defined a really good Super Bowl city, say in 2014, versus what defines it now is drastically different.”
The Super Bowl’s gotten bigger, meaning more hotel rooms, more convention centers, more events — there were over 200 private parties — and a million people descending upon the region between the airports in San Francisco and San Jose.
Accessibility beats walkability these days.
“We have to make sure the stadium continues to be upgraded,” Guido said, “but since NFL partners, specifically their media partners, reside in this region — YouTube and Netflix and Apple — I think it’s fair to say that we should be hosting multiple Super Bowls after Super Bowl 60.”
The stadium upkeep for the Super Bowl and World Cup games cost roughly $250 million over the last 18-24 months, according to Guido. That comes from a combination of NFL programs, the 49ers’ corporate partners’ capital expenditure renovation budget and York family money.
“The video boards are brand new, all the lighting fixtures are brand new,” Guido said. “We had to redo some of the club spaces and suites — I can’t believe the building’s 12 years old; that’s kind of nutty to think about.”
When reporters walked through the tunnels of the stadium in December, it was amazing to see the seemingly endless number of new TV boxes lined up.
“Think about having a TV for 12 years. … It’s pretty crazy in this day and age, right?” Guido said, smiling. “The technology changes so much. We opened up the building as the most technological building in 2014, and it was probably the most out of date by the time we got to doing all these changes last year.”
A lot has changed. Before joining the 49ers, Guido worked with the Dallas Cowboys — helping oversee the opening of AT&T Stadium — and Legends, the hospitality company that is strongly tied to the NFL.
“When I got here, I was working at an agency servicing the club, which had roughly a hundred employees playing in the oldest non-renovated stadium in the National Football League,” Guido said. “Fast forward to now, and we’re over 400-plus.”
Giudo still tries to think like a fan while running the different businesses underneath the 49ers umbrella. And now that he has more dealings with 49ers general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan as CEO, the former 5-foot-10 slot receiver from the College of New Jersey has a voice as well.
It’s why Guido pushes back a little bit on all of the NFL’s global expansion plans.
“Commercially, it’s a success, but on the football field, I think we need to do a better job,” he said. “I mean, we’re gonna be traveling quite a bit for our football players. If we expand the games, how does that impact roster sizes? How does it impact potential bye weeks? How does it impact the schedule of the NFL year? Do we elongate it?”
Player health and safety need to be stressed.
“The hero feature is still the game,” Guido said. “It’s why people watch; it’s why people buy tickets. Anything that takes away from the hero feature or diminishes it, we need to look at. We have to make sure the football is good.”
Guido was playing football and waiting tables when a customer offered the business major an internship at American Express Financial. That led to him studying to become a financial advisor, and one night, when he was waiting tables again, his dad came by with an ad that the Philadelphia 76ers were having a job fair.
“I got hired to do a $6-an-hour telemarketing job out of the basement of the Philadelphia Spectrum,” Guido said. “I sold my first ticket, and I was hooked. I think I’ve worked in every single professional league at this point.”
One of the things that makes the NFL stand out over other sports, Guido thinks, is the ability to have parity.
“A lot of NBA fans wake up in the morning and know that their team has no chance that year,” he said. “You’re either in rebuild mode, or you’re stuck in the middle of never being able to win. That doesn’t exist in the NFL.”
And with that also comes the pressure of walking into the 49ers facility and seeing the five Super Bowl trophies.
“There was a standard here that was set, and we’ve got to get back to it,” Guido said. “Now, different days and salary cap versus no salary cap. But to me, when you represent a brand like this, it’s pretty hard to say that there’s a better league and a better franchise.”
While the NFL has a hard salary cap on the players, Guido points out that the 49ers “can spend as much money as we want on coaches and on support staff for our players.” As well as on renovating the team’s facilities.
“You want to give yourself the best hand,” Guido said.
The 49ers were 12-5 last season and won a playoff game despite losing a lot of players — including their two best defensive players (Fred Warner and Nick Bosa) to injuries. They just put a lot of money into the weight room and hydrotherapy, as well as the locker room and cafe. Additionally, they are exploring a possible nearby relocation as they are running out of space at and next to Levi’s Stadium.
“Everything is geared to winning the Super Bowl,” Guido said. “We have been to three in the last 30 years and not won any. That’s the appetite with everyone here, and this is the right time to do it. In talking to our fans, I think they feel that, too.”