Kent Somers

azcentral sports

Arizona will not only host this season's Super Bowl, but also the Pro Bowl, the NFL announced on Wednesday.

The Pro Bowl will be played on Jan. 25, 2015, a week before the Super Bowl, at University of Phoenix Stadium and televised live on ESPN at 6 p.m. It will be the first time the game will be played in Arizona.

The Cardinals and the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee also will host the Pro Bowl and associated activities.

Hosting the Pro Bowl was the idea of Cardinals President Michael Bidwill, who approached NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about it more than a year ago.

Tickets for the Pro Bowl will be available first to Cardinals season ticket members and annual Pro Bowl season ticket holders. Pro Bowl annual ticket subscribers in Hawaii will maintain their account status for any future games at Aloha Stadium.

It is scheduled to be played there in 2016.

The 2015 Pro Bowl will be the third one played in the same city as the Super Bowl. The Los Angeles Coliseum hosted the first Super Bowl on January 15, 1967 and the Pro Bowl the following week. South Florida hosted the Pro Bowl in 2010 a week before Super Bowl XLIV.

The Pro Bowl is the most watched all-star game in professional sports, but the NFL has not been satisfied with its entertainment value. The league has tried various ways to make the Pro Bowl more entertaining. Last season, players were selected without regard to conference and then were drafted on to the two teams. The same format will continue in 2015.