The A’s lease at the Coliseum expires in 2024. The new stadium in Vegas isn’t expected to be completed until 2027, which raises questions about where the team will play in the interim.
Yesterday, A’s president David Kaval announced that the franchise had signed an agreement to buy a 49-acre site near the Las Vegas strip and hoped to break ground next year on a one-and-a-half billion dollar, 35,000-seat stadium in “Sin City.”
Kaval told the Las Vegas Review Journalthat the A’s would build the retractable domed stadium in a partnership with the state of Nevada and Clark County.
Kaval told the paper, “For a while, we were on parallel paths, but we have turned our attention to Las Vegas to get a deal here for the A’s and find a long term home.”Major League commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement in support of the A’s move to Vegas.
In response, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said that the city was ending all negotiations with the ball club and would be exploring other options.
The A’s moved to Oakland in 1968 from Kansas City. They have played their home games at the antiquated Oakland Coliseum, but have made repeated attempts over the years to find a new stadium, including sites in Fremont and San Jose, before focusing on a proposed park at Howard Terminal.
Meanwhile, the A’s fortunes have plummeted on the field and off.
Last year, the A’s were last among the 30 major league teams in attendance, drawing less than 10,000 fans per game.
