Hochul attends Bills’ first home opener in new stadium
· Yahoo Sports
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- The Buffalo Bills' historic home opener Thursday night saw a number of special guests in attendance, including New York Governor and Buffalo native Kathy Hochul.
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"What a magnificent venue this is," Hochul said. "We worked hard with the team and the ownership, the Pegulas have been incredible, and this is what the fans deserve, something that the rest of the nation is looking at with awe and saying, 'That's incredible.' The Bills deserve this, this community deserves this."
Hochul spoke on the team's journey to establishing the new stadium, and the role she played in the process as governor.
"Five years ago, we did not know that this would be the outcome," Hochul said. "It was a little tenuous for the Bills, they weren't getting the support they needed from the state; I became governor and I committed, and I'll make sure they stay here for the next 30 years."
The governor said that the new stadium will not only be beneficial to the community from an economic standpoint, but for reinforcing its identity.
"There'll be economic benefits for us that are extraordinary," Hochul said. "The money that comes out of this team being here and not in some other state is really important to our tax base, but also, our identity. This is who we are. We're tough, we're gritty, we're resilient, we get knocked down we come back up, and it's going to be a great season for the Bills."
Moving forward, Hochul said she is committed to maintaining the team's home.
"We'll keep making our investments; I mean, this is a state asset now," Hochul said. "I want to make sure that, not only do we have a winning team, but the part I control is to make sure that, over time, we keep putting the money in so it never deteriorates."
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.cls-3{}Rachel Ross is a digital producer who joined WIVB in May 2026. Read more of her work at this link.
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