New Topgolf Shopping Center Renderings

A handful of new renders for the proposed Topgolf in Alviso have been released. Topgolf is the Dave & Busters of driving ranges. They are popular entertainment destinations with 20 locations across the US (the only other Topgolf location in California is near Sacramento). The San Jose Topgolf would be part of a 100,000 SQFT retail project that includes a new 200-room hotel. The center would be very close to @First and Levi's Stadium and might even encourage a few residents a visitors to explore Alviso, a mostly forgotten yet very interesting and unique part of San Jose.

Source: gillynova from the San Jose Development Forum

 

World Cup qualifying match coming to San Jose in March

On March 24th, the US Men's National Team will face off with Honduras in Avaya Stadium for a shot at the 2018 World Cup. The US lost its first two qualifying games, so it is pretty much do or die for the team. It should be a great game and it's a huge honor for San Jose to host it.

Source: SVBJ

Saturday Stats: Rents are higher near the Shark Tank

There is a sometimes controversial theory that sports venues increase property values around them. A recent RentCafe study adds some legs to the connection. Based on their analysis, rents are on average 27% higher within a 2-mile radius of NHL arenas. San Jose in particular has 18% higher rents within this radius than the rest of the city.

This is not always the case. For example, rents are a 31% less near the Oakland Coliseum based on a similar study for NFL teams (Levi's Stadium shows up as 9% higher rent). For more info, hit the source link.

Source: RentCafe

SJSU breaks ground on $10.2 million golf complex

Last week San Jose State University broke ground on its first on-campus training facility for golf. The world-class complex is across the street from Spartan Stadium and will be used for both men and women's golf teams. It will certainly help SJSU's student athletes get a leg up on the competition, especially since it can accommodate a large number of people. It will have hitting positions for 80 golfers, two large "tour-quality" putting greens, three bunkers, and two chipping greens.

The whole project was funded by private giving, including a $5 million gift from Rich and Cindy Thawly (alumni entrepreneurs and finance industry executives). The golf complex is expected to be complete by this December.

Source: SJSU

San Jose will host the 2016 MLS All-Star game

On July 28th, the MLS All-Stars will take on Arsenal FC at Avaya Stadium. Arsenal's draw is huge--people from around the world will be coming to see the team play. The best part is that the event will bring a whole week's worth of events that include parties at San Pedro Square to celebrate soccer and the MLS. It is expected to be a significant economic driver for San Jose.

This will be the Arsenal's first visit to play in the Bay Area. For more information hit the source link below.

Source: MLS

San Liccardo and Jim Plunkett Welcome Super Bowl Fans

Team San Jose has created a short video with our mayor and San Jose-native Jim Plunkett. Stay tuned over the next week for more info on all the great San Jose events happening during Super Bowl week.

San Jose Pavilion Coming to Super Bowl City

It is extremely rare that I post about an event happening in San Francisco, but this deserves a mention. "Super Bowl City" is a village for football fans that is being setup on Market Street between Main and Spear Streets in SF from January 30th through February 7th. San Jose is actually going to get its own pavilion in the village, which will showcase attractions and activities that are only found in San Jose. This might be the first time I've heard about San Jose getting promoted at a major event like this up north--expected attendance is in the hundreds of thousands.

For more details, you can read the full press release below. If you plan on staying local, there are many Super Bowl events happening in Downtown San Jose.

San José knows the way to Super Bowl City
San José Pavilion a must-do stop at San Francisco-based fan village during Game Week

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Today, the City of San José and Team San Jose announced that, during Game Week, the free-to-the-public fan village will include the San José Pavilion, a cultural space showcasing attractions and activities found only in San José.

“San José is home to a number of world-class attractions and a truly unique innovative spirit,” said Mayor Sam Liccardo. “This is a great opportunity for Super Bowl visitors, and other Bay Area residents, to explore many of the things that make San José such a great place to live, work and play.”

Super Bowl City presented by Verizon is open from Saturday, Jan. 30 through Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016. The pavilion is located on Market Street between Main and Spear Streets in San Francisco.

“San Jose’s presence in Super Bowl City is a tremendous opportunity to promote our destination to visiting fans and locals who may not know all that our city has to offer,” said Team San Jose CEO Karolyn Kirchgesler.

Activations in the San José Pavilion will include local cultural treasures, city concierges, hackathons, innovation stations, robot wars, and more. Programming for San José’s presence in Super Bowl City is produced by Team San Jose, San José’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“Super Bowl 50 provides us with an opportunity to shine a light on the entire region,” said Keith Bruce, CEO of the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee. “We’re excited for the City of San Jose and Team San Jose to join us in Super Bowl City and celebrate the festivities with fans from around the world.”

Super Bowl City presented by Verizon is the Host Committee’s fan village designed to celebrate the milestone Super Bowl 50 and to highlight its unique place in the Bay Area.

For the latest information on Game Week happenings in San José, visit www.sanjoseca.gov/SB50

About Team San Jose
Team San Jose (TSJ) is an innovative partnership unifying the San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau, hotels, arts, labor and venues to deliver an exceptional visitor experience. TSJ manages the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, California Theatre, Center for the Performing Arts, City National Civic, Montgomery Theater, Parkside Hall, and South Hall. For more information, visit www.sanjose.org.

About San José Office of Economic Development
The San José Office of Economic Development is committed to a vital, competitive local economy that increases prosperity for people and companies. OED guides economic strategy, provides assistance for business success, connects employers with trained workers, and provides arts and cultural resources to our community. For more information, visit www.sjeconomy.com and follow us on Twitter: @sjeconomy, #sjplace.

About the City of San José
From its founding in 1777 as California's first city, San José has been a leader, driven by its spirit of innovation. Today, San José is the largest city in Northern California and the Capital of Silicon Valley—the world's leading center of innovation. The city, the 10th largest in the U.S., is committed to remaining a top-ranked place to do business, to work and to live. For more information, visit www.sanjoseca.gov.

Topgolf Considering San Jose for first Bay Area Location

Topgolf is like a collision between a driving range and a Dave & Busters. They have 20 locations across the US, which are huge regional entertainment draws and can command multi-hour wait times to get in. Each location typically has a high-tech three story driving range, multiple restaurants and bars, and business centers for corporate events. The balls have embedded micro-chips that let you know how close you came to hitting various targets on the field. Players are scored based on accuracy and distance. The experience is closer to a trendy bowling alley than a traditional driving range.

The location that Topgolf is eyeing is Pin High Golf Center in Alviso. The project could be part of a new retail center that would include up to 100,000 SQFT of retail and a 200-room hotel. This area is just down the street from the @First Shopping Center and around a mile away from Levi's Stadium and Santa Clara's planned shopping and entertainment center. Not only would it help capitalize on events happening in Santa Clara, but it would help service North San Jose where retail is still scarce.

The only other planned California Topgolf location so far is in Sacramento, and that will open in November 2016.

Source: SVBJ

Hard Steel MMA Fight in Willow Glen

Willow Glen would probably be the last place I'd expect to find a mixed martial arts tournament, but that is exactly what is going down tonight. About two dozen fighters will be competing in the Hard Steel Amateur Fight Series. The event is located at the Willow Glen Lounge (444 W. Alma Ave.) and doors open at 5pm. Tickets range from $35 for general admission to $70 front-row seats. For more details, please head over here.

100 Things To Do In San Jose Before You Die

When I first found about about this book, I was expecting few surprises. I assumed that I would easily be checking off 90+ of the 100 items listed in its pages. I was wrong. How far did I get you ask? 54. That's right, as a hardcore San Jose aficionado that purposefully seeks out all the cool things to do in San Jose, I'm at 54/100 from this book.

"100 Things To Do In San Jose Before You Die" was written by Susannah Greenwood, the online content manager and social media princess for the San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau. She has lived in San Jose for the past 14 years and has done a great job assembling this book. The best part is she's a clever writer with a great sense of humor. I even read through the items that I had already checked off my list to get her perspective.

I recommend the book to anyone who is a fan of San Jose and guarantee there will be items in here that you did not know about. You can buy the book now on paperback or get the digital Kindle edition over here.

The Fencing Center is Celebrating Their Anniversary on July 5th

Not only are the U.S. National Fencing Championships in San Jose this year (June 27-July 6), but the oldest fencing club in Silicon Valley--and the largest fencing venue in the Bay Area by far--is celebrating the one-year anniversary of their new facility by unveiling two large sculptures on July 5th. The unveiling event will have food, drinks, and music and me emceed by Scott Knies (Executive Director of the San Jose Downtown Association).

To be honest, I had no idea we had such a prestigious fencing facility in San Jose. The Fencing Center has been responsible for Junior and Senior National Champions, U.S. Olympic Team members, NCAA all-Americans, and prominent international fencing officials and coaches. For more info, check out the press release below or head over to their website (wow, they managed to register the domain fencing.com).

SAN JOSE – With more than 4,000 athletes in town for the U.S. Fencing National Championships, the South Bay’s oldest fencing club, The Fencing Center of San Jose, will celebrate the one-year anniversary of its new facility with the unveiling of two sculptures by former U.S. Olympic fencer Peter Schifrin on July 5. 

The Fencing Center will host “A Celebration of U.S. Fencing,” open to the public, on July 5 from 6-8 p.m. The reception will feature a performance by Schifrin at 7 p.m. when his two fencing themed sculptures, “The Salute” and “The Final Touch,” are presented to The Fencing Center where they will be on permanent loan. 

The largest fencing tournament in the world, the Nationals will feature both individual and team events in three weapons – foil, saber and epee – with national titles awarded for both men and women in all age groups, plus berths on National teams.

While the National Championships take place at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center June 27-July 6, The Fencing Center welcomes all competitors to practice for free at its new 15,000 square foot club just south of downtown San Jose at 1290 S. First Street. 

The two bronze sculptures of fencers are the first sports-themed work Schifrin has created since his San Jose State University days as a young epee fencer who represented the U.S. in the 1984 Olympic Games. A former Fencing Center coach and now an art professor at Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Schifrin is known for his public art sculptures, notably Coyotes in San Jose and Confluence in San Francisco. 

“The Fencing Center’s dedication to the art of fencing continues through these powerful sculptures that celebrate the very joy of our sport,” said Sandeep Tawari, president of The Fencing Center Board of Directors.

Connie Yu, a long time coach at the club, commissioned the sculptures in homage to the legacy of The Fencing Center in San Jose. Yu, while a fencer herself, served on The Fencing Center’s first board of directors, and her three children, Jennifer, Jessica and Martin were all fencers, too.

“Fencing is an art form as well as a competitive sport. It’s not just about making the touches and winning,” Yu said. “I want to bring back the culture and pageantry that inspire people to be fencers, and having Peter’s sculptures here can help do that.”

The Fencing Center has a long association with downtown San Jose. Its first club opened in 1982 on the second floor of the old Mercury News Building at 10 Notre Dame Avenue, then moved to 40 North Street after incorporating as a non-profit organization, and finally operating for 18 years at 110 Stockton Avenue just behind the SAP Center until last year.

The Fencing Center boasts a long roster of members who have become Junior and Senior National champions, U.S. Olympic Team members, NCAA all-Americans, international fencing officials and prominent fencing coaches. The center continues its tradition of offering classes for all weapons and levels of fencing, including an introductory course, as well as being a host site for local and regional tournaments with 16 Olympic length strips, making it by far the largest fencing venue in the Bay Area. 

The special event on July 5 begins at 6 p.m. with food, beverages and music. The program will commence at 7 p.m. and be emceed by The Fencing Center’s first Executive Director, Scott Knies. There will be open fencing from 8 - 10 p.m. 

A $10 donation per person is suggested. 

For more information on The Fencing Center of San Jose: www.fencing.com. 

For more information on The U.S. Fencing National Championships: www.usfencing.org

San Jose Gets a Piece of Super Bowl 50!

Since it was announced that Santa Clara would host Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium next year, it was expected that the city of San Jose would receive some of the benefits as well. After all, our city is a lot closer to the game than San Francisco. San Jose hotels, tourist attractions, and entertainment venues will all do quite well during Super Bowl week. The good news is that the benefits are going to extend beyond that.

A few weeks ago the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee confirmed that one of the teams will be headquartered at the Marriott Hotel in Downtown San Jose and practice at Spartan Stadium. The team will literally be living in Downtown San Jose for the whole week. The hotel is right next to the San Jose Convention Center, The City National Civic, and The Montgomery Theater... I think the odds are quite good that the team will plan some events in the area much like the WWE did during Wrestlemania. There are already talks of using the SAP Center to stage the Super Bowl Media Day. Best of all, these benefits are coming to San Jose for free. Heck, SJSU is even getting a Football locker room upgrade out of this.

Fortunately, San Jose is planning to take full advantage of the situation. Our awesome Downtown Ice Rink in the Circle of Palms will be extended through February 7th and a "party zone" will likely be created Downtown for fans.

Who knows, by the next time a Super Bowl is hosted at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara and San Jose might fully become the official host cities with the auxiliary events in SF.

Source: The Merc

The Sharks' New Minor League Hockey Team will be Named the San Jose Barracuda

Now that the Sharks' minor league AHL farming team--named the Worcester Sharks--is moving in with their parents at the SAP Center, they can't exactly keep the same name. After the move they will become the San Jose Barracuda. Conveniently, there is also a tech company in Silicon Valley called Barracuda Networks... guess who the team's chief sponsor is going to be ;).

The new team will be a huge benefit to San Joseans. Dozens of games will be added to the roster at the SAP Center, and the prices will be substantially more affordable than Sharks games (which quickly get into triple digits for good seats).

Check out the new logo and jerseys below. What do you think? My favorite is the orange one.

Source: SVBJ

The Sharks are Moving Their Minor League Team to SAP Center!

The San Jose Sharks are going to be one of the first NHL teams to have their minor league (AHL) affiliate play in the same arena. The "minor league Sharks" are going to be moved from Massachusetts to San Jose this October, and will be playing 38 AHL home games at SAP. This is of course great news for Downtown, which will see even more visitors and activity during game nights. The AHL games will cost substantially less than the NHL games and will hopefully make hockey accessible to more people in the area.

Source: SVBJ

Wednesday Wishlist: 2024 Bay Area Olympics

San Francisco has officially put in a bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics  at an estimated budget of $4.5 billion. However, given SF does not have the resources or space to host this alone, the plan includes utilizing facilities all around the Bay Area including Levi's Stadium and Avaya Stadium (the new Earthquakes Stadium). So in a nutshell, SF would take on all of the risk and financial costs while San Jose would benefit from locally hosted events, economic impacts, and having easy access to all Summer Olympic games. It sounds like a win to me, similar to having Levi's stadium in Santa Clara.

What would you guys think about a 2024 Bay Area Olympics?

Source: SVBJ

Huge E-Sports Event Coming to San Jose

One of the largest "e-sports" events ever to take place in the US is coming to San Jose. The Intel Extreme Masters tournament will host up to 18,000 people on Dec. 6-7 at the SAP Center. Instead of watching a Sharks game, visitors will watch teams competing in League of Legends and StarCraft video game competitions. You are probably asking yourself the same question I did... "is there really enough demand for 18,000 people to come watch others play video games?" Twitch--a site that streams people playing video games and tournaments--claims that it will stream the tournament live to an estimated 4.5 million viewers. Wow.

Given we are in the middle of Silicon Valley, San Jose should become a video game mecha. There is a real opportunity here, especially given how popular e-ports apparently are becoming. For more info on the Extreme Masters tournament, check out the website over here.

Source: SiliconBeat

East San Jose Soccer Team Ranks 3rd in the Country

A soccer team backed by the Portuguese Athletic Club called "Los Tigres" has brought back a bronze medal in the US Youth Soccer National Championship Finals. Out of over 10,000 teams around the country, they came in third. Check out the full article over here.

Source: I Heart San Jose, The Merc

Die Hards Co. Kickstarter!

San Jose natives Adam and Ben Mayberry launched the Die Hards Co. four years ago with the mission of creating unique gear for die hard Bay Area sports fans. Now they are ready to take their company to the next level with higher-quality apparel made locally in the Bay Area that will perfectly match the official colors of all seven Bay Area teams. The team launched a Kickstarter to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into a reality. Combined with a Creative Industries Incentive Fund grant that they received from the City of San Jose, this campaign will have a huge impact on helping a local San Jose business achieve success.

The best part is that they already hit their goal, meaning any pledges $5 or more will receive a guaranteed reward. To find out more, watch the video below and then head over to the Kickstarter page to contribute!

Bay Area Sports Apparel From  The DIE HARDS COMPANY Announces Launch Of A KICKSTARTER To Manucature Made In The Bay Area Apparel

SAN JOSE, Calif.,—Since 2010, local clothing company, The Die Hards Company. has been providing Bay Area sports fans apparel, including t-shirts, sweaters and hats, to wear proudly when cheering on their favorite team.  Their tagline “Sport Your Colors” is the foundation for their brand as they strictly cater to the loyal fans of the seven professional sports teams in the San Francisco Bay Area.

With innovative designs—including their best-selling “Hella,” “Fin City” and “I Survived the Stick” t-shirts—The Die Hards Co. has continued to grow, mostly from their strong social media presence. With their 4th Anniversary closing in, they intend to take their company to the next level.

The Die Hards Co. is pleased to announce the launch of a Kickstarter campaign to crowd source the funds needed to manufacture their tshirts using factories in the Bay Area.  Previously they have purchased shirts from companys that sew they blank shirt options over seash.

Through the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs and the Center for Cultural Innovation, they were selected to receive the Creative Industries Incentive Fund grant. Using Kickstarter to match the funds provided in the grant, we can produce high quality, Made in the Bay Area shirts matching official colors of all seven Bay Area teams.  Without these funds they would not be able to meet the minimums needed for manufacturing

San Jose Spiders - New Ultimate Frisbee Pro Team!

The newest pro sport to find its way to San Jose isn't Baseball or Basketball... it's Ultimate Frisbee. The league is owned by Cisco executive Rob Lloyd (potentially the next Cisco CEO) and the team is backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners. Apparently Silicon Valley is ground zero for Ultimate Frisbee, which has become the preferred sport for techies (perhaps one day we'll see pro Quidditch as well). Even the name San Jose Spiders is a tech reference--search engines send spiders to crawl the Internet for data.

The Spiders will have their inaugural season in April. Home games will be played at Foothill College for now, and hopefully they will move to the city they're named after at some point in the future.

For more information and tickets, head over to the San Jose Spiders website over here.

Source: SVBJ

Latest from Bay Area Die Hard Co.

Check out the latest news about San Jose-based Bay Are Die Hard Co. in the release below. They also just launched a limited edition line for the US team at Sochi (use the promo code "GO USA" for a 20% discount, click here to see the options).

BAY AREA SPORTS APPAREL FROM DIE HARD COMPANY, ON THE RISE IN THE BAY AREA

 

SAN JOSE, Calif., — Since 2010, local clothing company, Die Hard Co. has been providing Bay Area sports fans apparel, including t-shirts, sweaters and hats, to wear proudly when cheering on their favorite team.  Their tagline “Sport Your Colors” is the foundation for their brand as they strictly cater to the loyal fans of the seven professional sports teams in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

“We represent the die hard fans.  We want them to be able to represent their team at anytime, giving them an alternative from the logos,” said Adam Mayberry, co-creator of DieHard Co.

           

In the spring of 2010, brothers Adam and Ben Mayberry wanted to create a line of clothing that reflected their passion for Bay Area sports while incorporating their skills as designers—Adam in architecture and Ben a graphic designer. Their first design, “Big Time Timmy Jim” was inspired by the 2010 ESPN commercial with Tim Lincecum and was a hit that following fall when the Giants won the World Series. 

 

 

Now with thirty designs to choose from in their online store—including their best-selling “Hella,” “Fin City” and “I Survived the Stick” t-shirts—Die Hard Co. continues to grow, garnering a vast following of fans on their social media platforms.

 

One special fan of the brand, Alex Boone, offensive guard of the San Francisco 49ers, took interest in DieHard Co. and asked the Mayberry brothers to create a design that represented Boone’s moniker, “The Rhino” during the 2013 Super Bowl. It has been seen on Boone as well as on defensive end, Justin Smith and is among their product list to choose from on their website.  Amid last Sunday’s when against the Carolina Panthers, Boone announced on his Instagram profile that he will be donating the proceeds made from DieHard’s “The Rhino” t-shirt towards the San Francisco Zoo. 

 

Die Hard Co. has been awarded the Creative Industries Incentive Fund grant through The City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs and the Center for Cultural Innovation.  The money received from this grant will allow them to fund part of the budget needed to manufacture shirts at a higher quality to the exact specifications of Die Hard fans—color, material, size and branding will all be upgraded.

 

The additional funding needed will come from a KickStarter campaign in late February to match the money from the grant. The project will allow Die Hard Co. to bypass buying premade shirts from a distributor which has set colors and materials that are mostly made overseas. The new line will be Made in the USA.

 

With these future projects lined up, Die Hard Company will continue to grow as a brand and provide fans unique ways to Sport Their Colors no matter what they are doing.

 

For more information and updates on DieHard Co., visit http://www.diehard.co or contact adam@diehard.co