Rose Bowl Weathered Fire Crisis, Championship in Same Year While Staying Nearly on Budget

The Rose Bowl Operating Company finished its fiscal year within $300,000 of budget despite pivoting from college football championship host to emergency command center for more than 4,000 first responders battling the Eaton Fire—all within the span of days, according to an annual report scheduled for presentation Thursday.

The financial performance protected the City’s General Fund from debt obligations while the organization reinvested nearly $3 million into the stadium and Brookside Golf Course, the report states. The Economic Development and Technology Committee will review the findings at 5 p.m. in City Council Chambers.

“Our campus—that hosted a celebration of college football just days earlier—was quickly transformed into a staging area for more than 3,000 first responders,” Rose Bowl Operating Company President Steve Haderlein wrote in the report. “It was our honor to play a small role to help our community.”

The fiscal year brought six FIFA Club World Cup matches, UCLA football games, and major concerts including AC/DC to the stadium. The RBOC and City renewed their Operating Agreement during the year, including a more efficient process for approving up to 25 large events annually.

Looking ahead, the Rose Bowl Operating Company and the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation launched an $80 million capital campaign in December called the Lasting Legacy Campaign. Six of eight planned projects are fully funded or completed, including a refurbished marquee sign, a state-of-the-art sound system, and an east side safe standing seating section. Upcoming projects include a south end zone field club, cellular service enhancement, and one of the nation’s largest video boards, with some improvements timed around the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The stadium also completed a 20-year capital plan presented to City Council as a roadmap to maintain and improve the stadium and golf course.

Community engagement continued through events like the Egg Bowl and the fourth annual Cinco de Mayo festival combined with UCLA’s spring showcase. Partnerships with nonprofits raised more than $3.2 million for organizations including Autism Speaks and the American Heart Association. The RBOC also partnered with the City to fund a protective fence benefiting pedestrians on the Rose Bowl Loop, the report said.