During the offseason, owner Michael Bidwill and Cardinals COO Jeremy Walls took a stroll around State Farm Stadium and had a collective realization.
There’ was an opportunity to create a fan experience that has never been done before in the NFL. That’s when the vision for Morgan Athletic Club hosted by The Global Ambassador was born.
“We got together with the idea and then we all started kind of riffing on the idea of thinking about how we could make something different and something that’s not been seen before,” Walls said. “It was really a team effort.”
The Morgan Athletic Club is a luxury experience located just steps away from the gridiron. It features a dynamic selection of cuisines and exclusive dishes crafted specifically for Cardinals games. The menus were designed in partnership with world renowned culinary innovator Sam Fox.
Fans are greeted with live music and offerings that can’t be found anywhere throughout the league. The idea is to resemble the vibes one would find in a location in Scottsdale or Phoenix, all while meshing with football. “You can enjoy the club and then walk right on the field, so it was important for us to do something different and creative that was uniquely Arizona,” Walls said.
When the Cardinals were originally born around the turn of the 20th century, the organization was known as the Morgan Athletic Club. The Cardinals, along with the Bears, were two of the founding members of the NFL a couple of decades later, in 1920.
“I think one of the most unique things about the Cardinals is the long history spanning three centuries of business operations. It’s rare,” Bidwill said. “It’s cool that we could celebrate our history and celebrate the great history that we have, but also expose our fans to a luxury experience, so it just made perfect sense.
“It should have no other name but the Morgan Athletic Club.”
Memorabilia is featured throughout the club, highlighting moments throughout the team’s history — among them a photo of Duke Slater, the first African American to play for the Cardinals to bow ties to commemorate Michael’s father, Bill Bidwill.
