LAS VEGAS — In a dimly lit club at the edge of the freeway, four miles away from Allegiant Stadium, lifelong friends introduced themselves.
At Splash Supper Lounge, the location of two Super Bowl weekend parties organized by Niner Empire, 49ers fans of all backgrounds and origins convened Friday night. There were DJ acts, flowing beverages, a hookah corner and hundreds of 49ers jerseys.
Those in the Las Vegas joint came from Mississippi, Houston, Tampa, Germany and from around the corner in Vegas. Hardly anyone there had tickets to the Super Bowl.
“The one thing with Niner Empire is we do the things (the 49ers) don’t do for us as fans,” said Joe Leonor, who founded the fan group. “Look at the Super Bowl now, what is it, $8,000, $10,000 to get in? The real fans aren’t out there.”
Fans getting priced out by Super Bowl tickets is a common theme in Las Vegas, where the median cost of admission is over $8,000. Niner Empire, the fan organization Leonor started in 2004 and now spans across the globe, has blossomed to provide alternatives for fans who can’t afford to get into the stadium, but still hunger for the community.
“It’s going to be like a family reunion,” said Hugo Zelada Jr. “The Niner Empire, the way that it’s structured, is if you want to travel any time during the year, especially football season, you go to Niner Empire dot com and look on the map for a chapter so you can go watch the game with them. It’s pretty much like having an extended family.”
Zelada, known within the Niner Empire as “DJ Juice,” has been to the last three 49ers Super Bowl sites with the group. This time around, he’s crashing with the Las Vegas Niner Empire president. He described the dynamic of the organization as a “fraternity.”
Just like a college fraternity taking on Vegas, the Niner Empire knows how to party. Anywhere the 49ers go, the Niner Empire chapter organizes a “takeover,” Zelada said.
The Niner Empire really shines when the 49ers are at home. Zelada said he has missed two games in the last 10 years. Leonor has only missed a couple in the last 24. Their tailgates in Blue Lot 1 are legendary, with Zelada DJing and a board with shot glasses for 49 people to partake at once. Carlos Santana’s nephew, Jose, has rapped at the events.
In Vegas, they’ve put the party on wheels — literally. Zelada, his brother Mo, and Joe drove down I-5 to Vegas on Friday night, straight to Splash Supper Lounge.
Dave Watkins, left, and Vernon Moorer of the Bay Area, arrive for a Niner Empire fan club gathering at Splash Supper Club in Las Vegas, Nev., Friday, Feb.9, 2024, two days before the San Francisco 49ers play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Leonor in particular gushes about the community he has helped build. He has relished bringing people together his entire life, and now the retired law enforcement officer’s labor of love has chapters in most of the 50 states, New Zealand, England and Germany.
“It’s the coolest thing, because these Germans come out here and they drink like fishes,” Leonor said.
Werner Gudiel, who was at the Splash Supper Lounge Friday, moved from Fremont to Los Angeles but, because of the Niner Empire, was able to maintain his community despite the change of scenery.
Gudiel is one of the few Niner Empire members who broke the bank to actually go to the game. He said he paid over $10,000 for a ticket — and he was looking for the most affordable options possible.
“It’s a childhood dream for me,” Gudiel said.
Most of the Niner Empire in Vegas, though, is content with hanging around the stadium. Leonor said they have a saying that “the 49ers brought us together, but the Niner Empire made us family.” He wrote a “pledge” that the members take in which they dedicate their allegiance to the franchise.
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Leonor makes it clear that politics aren’t welcome in the club, but the group does feel a bit like a religion.
“Our tailgates are just about bringing people together from all over,” Leonor said. “It’s just that one day — the thing about sports, especially football, is it’s that one day you can let your hair down. Everybody’s got their families, their job and everything, but it’s that one day you can let your hair down.”
Many fans at the party remember painful travel days after previous Super Bowl losses, since the last win was nearly three decades ago.
A win would make Leonor and Zelada’s drive back to the Bay Area much smoother. But if Super Bowl LVIII is as stressful for the Niner Empire as the two team’s comeback playoff wins last month to reach Las Vegas, the fans might not have any hair left to let down.
Members of the Niner Empire fan club celebrate at the Splash Supper Club in Las Vegas, Nev., Friday, Feb.9, 2024, two days before their team, the San Francisco 49ers, plays the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
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