Today was Ciela Devani’s 1st San Francisco 49ers game! It was a long time coming!
Ciela was only 2 years old when the pandemic began, and COVID definitely pushed back her debut at Levi’s Stadium. During the 2019-2020 season, our 49ers were having an amazing year but sadly it ended with a Super Bowl loss. Fast forward 2 years and Ciela, now 4, finally took the trip with me down to Santa Clara to see our team play live. It’s a trip to think as I’m writing this that for more than half of my daughter’s life, she has been living during a global pandemic. Nights like this one truly make you feel grateful to be alive, and to cherish those who you have the blessing of spending time with; family, friends, coworkers, and so on.
It was a nice, warm, summer Friday afternoon; and being a preseason game there was no stress over the final result, or worrying about missing a play, or being away from our seats for that matter. Ciela had seen Levi’s Stadium many times on the road or from the Great America parking lot, but she was in awe of how big the building was once we stepped inside. Immediately she said, “Daddy can you take me all the way up to the top?” I replied “yes,” and eventually we ventured up to the Bud Light Patio and the 400 level sections and climbed the stairs all the way to the top.
The game went back and forth until midway through the 4th quarter when the Niners took a 28-21 lead, which ended up being the final score. Once the game ended we headed over to the Golden Opportunities booth to get ready for Postgame Field Access. Big shoutout to Rachelle from Membership Service, who put us on the list allowing us to lay our feet on the turf our team plays on every game at home.
We snapped our pictures once down on the field, Ciela ran a 40-yard dash or 2, sprinted from hashmark to hashmark, and dashed in and out of the end zone a few times. It felt like being a kid out there as footballs were flying, teens and adults were running plays against defenses, and everyone was happy spending time together and enjoying their chance to be out on the gridiron.
Although taking my daughter to her first 49ers game was delayed almost half of her life, it was a pleasure to see her amazed by the grandeur and scale of the facility, her giddiness and smiles as she skipped around the concourse, and her playground instincts kick in once we got down on the field. Now that Ciela’s 1st 49ers game is under her belt, I look forward to bringing her to many more in the future.
Go Niners! #FTTB
