Oakland Athletics set to move to Las Vegas from 2028 after MLB approval - 3 minutes read
The Oakland Athletics are set to move to Las Vegas from the 2028 season after Major League Baseball owners approved their relocation.
The club will open a new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada.
The A's will play their final season at the Oakland Coliseum next year and said they are working with MLB to find an interim home until they relocate.
"We are excited to begin this next chapter in Las Vegas," said Athletics owner John Fisher.
"I want to thank the Las Vegas and Nevada community for welcoming us.
"We will continue to work hard to bring home more championships for our fans and for our new home in Vegas."
Oakland's former NFL franchise the Raiders moved to Las Vegas - 410 miles (660km away) - from the 2020 season.
The Athletics have repeatedly failed to secure a deal for a new stadium in Oakland to replace the ageing Coliseum, which opened in 1966 and also used to host the Raiders.
It will be the third time the Athletics franchise has moved since its inception in 1901. The team started in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 and then Oakland in 1968.
"Today marks a significant moment for our franchise, and it's met with mixed emotions - sadness for this change and excitement for our future," added Fisher.
"I know this is a hard day for our fans in Oakland. We made sincere efforts to keep our team in Oakland, but unfortunately, it did not work out.
"I am grateful to the fans who have supported our team throughout the years and the home Oakland provided."
Fisher required the approval of 75% of the 30 owners of MLB franchises but reportedly received unanimous support.external-link
Earlier this year, the Nevada government approved a $380m (£306m) public financing packageexternal-link towards the proposed $1.5bn (£1.21bn) new stadium in Las Vegas.
The A's relocation adds to the growth of sport in Las Vegas, following the Raiders' move and the city gaining the NHL expansion franchise the Golden Knights in 2017.
Formula 1 is running the first Las Vegas Grand Prix to take place on the Strip this weekend and first race in the city since the 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix.
The Athletics have won nine World Series titles, with four of them coming in Oakland, but none since 1989.
They finished with the worst record in MLB last season, winning 50 games and losing 112.
Source: BBC News
Powered by NewsAPI.org