Rose Bowl Looks to The Future as UCLA Kicks Off Football Season

UCLA kicks off its football season on Saturday against Bowling Green. 

The season starts as the Rose Bowl struggles to remain financially feasible.

City documents revealed the budget projects for next year expect total gross revenue of $59.6 million but operating expenditures of $62.4 million, for a net loss of $2.8 million. The loss would be covered by operating reserves, leaving an ending operating available balance of $6.4 million, after reserves.

Since 1982, the Rose Bowl has been the home stadium of the UCLA Bruins.

“We are college football specific,” said Jens Weiden. “We were built for the first college football bowl game and we’re the most famous and historic building for college football in the land.”

“And that’s a great benefit for UCLA to be able to call this place their home. When we talk to fans and people that interact with the stadium, our setting is really what sets us apart. New stadiums are built all over the globe all the time, but you can’t replicate the setting here at the base of the San Gabriel mountains and the Arroyo Seco.”

Weiden was chosen to replace retiring General Manager/Chief Executive Officer, Darryl Dunn.

Weiden previously served as the Rose Bowl Operating Company’s Chief Revenue Officer, a position held since 2013.

During his tenure, Weiden led a team that increased enterprise event revenue by over 500%. Under his leadership, the Rose Bowl campus became one of the more dynamic entertainment venues in the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic, putting on innovative events that provided safe entertainment during a difficult time. Weiden has also been instrumental in leading the Rose Bowl Stadium Premium Seating & Sponsorship teams and has been integral in attracting world-class musical acts and sporting events to America’s Stadium. 

Weiden must now help lead the stadium through financial issues, but also competition from other venues including SoFi Stadium which recently hosted the Super Bowl.

“The plan with UCLA is to make sure that we listen,” he said. “We need to listen to them and listen to what their fans are saying they’re looking for out of the experience here. You mentioned SoFi stadium earlier. And SoFi stadium is a beautiful new stadium. We’re not SoFi stadium and we’re not trying to be SoFi stadium.”

“There’s things that they have there that we couldn’t do even if we wanted to. What we need to do is we need to understand what makes this place magical. And it’s all things including our setting and get with our partners and talk about what things we can do to amplify that. And there are things that we can do along those lines that make what’s great about coming to a UCLA game at the Rose Bowl, even better.”

During a City Council Meeting on Monday, June 6, the RBOC put forward a list of priorities under its strategic plan to generate sufficient revenue to maintain and enhance the Rose Bowl and the Brookside Golf Courses.

The recommendations include the creation of a Family Golf Center, the establishment of a Campus Marque/Sponsorship Program, the establishment of a South End Zone seating and in-stadium amphitheater, the increase in Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) and the imposition of a potential citywide parking tax on paid parking spaces, among other recommendations. 

As per the RBOC staff report, the Family Golf Center is expected to generate $1 million per year, the Campus Marque/Sponsorship Program is expected to generate $600,000-$1.5 million a year.

The South End Zone seating and in-stadium amphitheater project, which proposes the removal of seats that are not in demand currently for a majority of events at the Rose Bowl in the South End zone area and the creation of a field level premium seating area or a smaller venue within the Rose Bowl for performing arts, could generate a revenue of $1.3 million per year. 

Both the increase in TOT and the parking tax on paid parking spaces are expected to generate $3 million in annual revenue. 

“We’d love to see the residents of Pasadena come out and enjoy their treasure,” he said. “It’s something that sometimes you take for granted when it’s that close to you, but it’s wonderful that a city of Pasadena’s size has this beautiful, national historic landmark and it’s a great way to get out with your family and enjoy a day. Come out, tailgate early, our parking lots open six hours before kickoff, enjoy a day out on a five star park, which is the Brookside golf course and then come in and watch some wonderful Bruins football.”