ATLANTA, Georgia (AFP) — Indianapolis was awarded the 2012 Super Bowl in a vote of National Football League owners here on Tuesday, marking only the fourth time a domed stadium in a northern US city will host the event.
The 625 million-dollar Lucas Oil Stadium, a 70,000-seat retractable-roof venue that opens later this year, will play host to the hoopla of the American football championship game after losing a bid to host the 2011 Super Bowl.
Indianapolis defeated Houston and Phoenix, both having already hosted Super Bowls, in voting by owners at the league's annual meeting. Phoenix hosted this year's Super Bowl while Houston hosted the 2004 edition.
The Indianapolis Colts, who won the 2007 Super Bowl, dream of becoming the first team to capture an NFL crown by winning the Super Bowl on its own home field. The Colts played their final season in a smaller domed venue last year.
The only prior northern US cities to host a Super Bowl were Pontiac, Michigan, in 1982; Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1992 and Detroit in 2006.
Next year's Super Bowl will be played in Tampa, Florida, followed by Miami in 2010 and the new home stadium for the Dallas Cowboys in 2011.
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