Oakland Raiders set to move to Las Vegas with NFL owners expected to vote in favour of landmark switch
The vote, due to be taken at the annual spring meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, is the final hurdle of a lengthy process which will now see the Raiders move from California to Nevada
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Your support makes all the difference.The Oakland Raiders are set to move to Las Vegas with NFL owners expected to vote in favour of the switch on Monday.
The vote, due to be taken at the annual spring meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, is the final hurdle of a lengthy process which will now see the Raiders move from California to Nevada for the 2019 season.
Owner Mark Davis needs a minimum of 24 “yes” votes from the league’s 32 owners on the proposal with Vegas ready to bankroll a brand new stadium in the area with up to $750million of public money.
The switch has become something of an open secret in league circles with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones saying that Monday will be "an exciting day for Vegas" upon his arrival in Phoenix.
Despite the fact the Raiders have left Oakland before - for Los Angeles in 1982 before returning in 1995 - the move remains deeply unpopular within a fanbase widely regarded as one of the most passionate in the league.
On Sunday commissioner Roger Goodell appeared to pour cold water on a last-ditch attempt by Oakland to keep hold of their team.
The city submitted a reworked plan to finance a new $1.3billion stadium in the city on Friday.
But replying in a letter to mayor Libby Schaaf, Goodell confirmed that the proposal still did not represent a “viable solution” for the league.
“Despite all of these efforts, ours and yours, we have not yet identified a viable solution,” he wrote. “It is disappointing to me and our clubs to have come to that conclusion.”
Goodell also suggested that the ongoing relationship with the Oakland A’s, with whom the Raiders currently share the Coliseum, and the role of hedge fund Fortess Management Group within the proposal remained issues as well as a number of other outstanding problems.
“We have been prepared for nearly two years to work on finding a solution based on access to land at a certain cost, without constraints on the location of the stadium or timing of construction, and clarity on the overall development,” he wrote.
“However, at this date, there remains no certainty regarding how the site will be fully developed, or the specific and contractually-defined nature of the participation by Fortress or other parties.
“In addition, the long-term nature of the commitment to the A’s remains a significant complication and the resolution of that issue remains unknown.”
After a lengthy period without any relocation the NFL has seen a number of teams move in recent years with the Rams returning to Los Angeles from St Louis last year and the Chargers leaving San Diego, also for LA, ahead of the 2017 season.
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