LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Athletics are moving toward the next major step in their relocation to Las Vegas, a ballpark groundbreaking.
They cleared a significant hurdle last week when the Clark County Commission approved land-use permits. That approval followed the unveiling of new stadium renderings and the announcement of a Las Vegas patch on players' uniform sleeves for the next three seasons under a sponsorship with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
There are some documents that still need to be completed and submitted, but there appears to be nothing major that would block putting shovels in the ground.
A's President Marc Badain the team is on track for a June groundbreaking for the $1.75 billion, 33,000-person capacity ballpark intended to open for the 2028 season. The club is playing the first of at least three seasons in a Triple-A ballpark at West Sacramento, California.
“Locally, everybody knows this project's going to happen," Badain said. “Nationally, there are a lot of skeptics. There will always be a lot of skeptics. There's a lot of people that make a living out of questioning the success of sports venues and what they actually do for a community. You're never going to eradicate that negativity. It's just out there.:”
Badain went through a similar process as then-president of the Raiders. He was instrumental in that NFL team's move from Oakland to Las Vegas and the approval and construction of $2 billion Allegiant Stadium, which opened in 2020.
“The team of people the A's put together before I even got on site is phenomenal,” Badain said. “A lot of the same people that were involved with Allegiant are on the ballpark project. So that familiarity and that knowledge and that experience has served the A's organization well both before I got there and just in the last month I've been there.”
The A's were well into the process of going through the necessary steps for stadium construction when they hired Badain on March 6. Sandy Dean, who had been acting president and now is vice chairman, was the lead person and remains heavily involved.
“We're working every day to get to the groundbreaking in the second quarter,” Dean said.
There was significant opposition to the A's receiving up to $380 million in public money for their stadium until the Las Vegas Stadium Authority cleared the way Dec. 5 by approving three critical documents.
When Clark County commissioners met last week, all 15 people who spoke during the public-comments portion favored the project. Many union workers wore A's kelly-green shirts that read, “Approve it and they will come.”
The A's would become he fourth major professional team in Las Vegas, joining the Raiders, NHL's Golden Knights and WNBA's Aces.
“The community has obviously seen the impact that the sports facilities and the sports teams have had on the diversification of the economy as well as the enhancement of the Las Vegas brand and what the city can offer,” Badain said. “It used to be the entertainment capital of the world. Now, everybody refers to it as the sports and entertainment capital of the world.”
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