Athletics set to join Oakland exodus as Las Vegas plans edge closer
The Oakland Athletics have confirmed plans to move their organisation to Las Vegas, in another sporting blow for the region.
The MLB side have signed an agreement to purchase land in Vegas to build a new $1.5billion (£1.2bn), 35,000-seat stadium near the famous strip in Nevada. The news comes three years after the formerly known Oakland Raiders refranchised their NFL organisation and moved to Vegas, with the £1.9bn Allegiant Stadium now their home ground.
The A's released a statement confirming their plans, admitting that any hopes of remaining in Oakland were no longer achievable due to a lack of "progress". The decision has been heavily backed by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, but Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is "deeply disappointed" with their announcement.
"The A's have signed a binding agreement to purchase land for a future ballpark in Las Vegas," a statement from team president Dave Kaval read. "We realise this is a difficult day for our Oakland fans and community.
"For more than 20 years, the A's have focused on securing a new home for the Club, and have invested unprecedented time and resources for the past six years to build a ballpark in Oakland. Even with support of fans, leaders of the city, county, and state level, and throughout the broader community, the process to build a new ballpark in Oakland has made little forward progress for some time.
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"We have made a strong and sincere effort to stay here. We recognise that this is very hard to hear. We are disappointed that we have been unable to achieve our shared vision of a waterfront ballpark. As we shift our focus to Vegas, we will continue to share details about next steps."
A's fans are preparing to see their MLB side move 553 miles away (D Ross Cameron/AP/REX/Shutterstock)The A's have called the Oakland Coliseum their home since 1968, but they've been seeking a new ballpark for some time. The prospect of branching out to Vegas could be instrumental for the team, and has been backed by Manfred following plans to move into their new home by 2027.
"We support the A's turning their focus on Las Vegas and look forward to them bringing finality to this process by the end of the year," Manfred told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. But those thoughts were not shared by the Mayor of Oakland, who wrote an angry statement in light of the news.
"I am deeply disappointed that the A's have chosen not to negotiate with the City of Oakland as a true partner, in a way that respects the long relationship between the fans, the City and the team," Thao said in a statement. "Yet, it is clear to me that the A's have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas.
The A's have been planning to upgrade their ballpark for some time (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)"I am not interested in continuing to play that game - the fans and our residents deserve better." But Kaval explained his reasoning to Review-Journal, as he said: "For a while we were on parallel paths [with Oakland], but we have turned our attention to Las Vegas to get a deal here for the A's and find a long-term home.
"Oakland has been a great home for us for over 50 years, but we really need this 20-year saga completed and we feel there's a path here in Southern Nevada to do that." The A's were set to see their lease at the Coliseum expire in 2024, and have been frantically searching for a solution.
The team will now work with Nevada and Clark County to help seek funding for the new ballpark. The agreement reportedly in place is to secure a 49-acre site owned by Red Rock Resorts, the parent company of Station Casinos who operate largely in Vegas.
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