National Football League

NFL plans VIP hideaway for Indianapolis Super Bowl

Published Nov. 23, 2011 6:52 p.m. ET

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The NFL plans to transform part of Union Station in downtown Indianapolis into a ski lodge-themed hospitality area for VIPs during February's Super Bowl.

The so-called NFL House will cater to corporate sponsors, team owners and former players and coaches from Feb. 2 through the Feb. 5 game two blocks away at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The design for Union Station's Grand Hall includes a massive fireplace, 22 large flat-screen televisions, two large dining areas, a game room and meeting areas, the Indianapolis Business Journal reports. The league plans for the site to accommodate 800 people a day while open until 3 a.m. and feature talks by players and coaches, music from celebrity DJs, live bands and celebrity chef appearances.

The NFL hasn't had such a facility at previous Super Bowls but plans to construct them at the next two Super Bowls, said Mary Pat Augenthaler, the league's vice president of events.

''I think it will be a place to go to unwind and maybe get away from the busy-ness of Super Bowl weekend,'' Augenthaler told The Indianapolis Star.

California-based SportsMark Management Group will build most of the facility off-site and then assemble it inside Union Station beginning Jan. 29, Augenthaler said.

''What we're trying to create with the NFL is an oasis of calm during an otherwise chaotic Super Bowl weekend,'' SportsMark President Keith Bruce told the IBJ.

Frank Supovitz, the NFL's senior vice president of events, said NFL House is designed to supplement, not replace, the league's other hospitality endeavors and the hospitality venues many sponsors provide during Super Bowl week.

''We're providing not just a game, but an experience, so it's about how we make the experience better to a number of constituencies,'' Supovitz said. ''We wanted to make our business partners feel better taken care of.''