NFL team owners approve Rams' relocation to Los Angeles

Gregg Heakes 08:47 14/01/2016
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  • Rams owner Stan Kroenke.

    NFL team owners have approved the return of the Los Angeles Rams from St. Louis, relocating the club to end a 21-year NFL drought for the Southern California city.

    The NFL announced that owners voted 30-2 to support Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s move for the 2016 season and proposal for a 70,000-seat stadium in suburban Inglewood, a $1.86 billion complex that could crack $2bn before its 2019 completion.

    “This is the hardest undertaking I’ve ever faced,” Kroenke said. “It is a difficult process and it is bittersweet. We understand the emotions of our fans. It’s not easy to do these things. It’s purposefully made hard.”

    Three teams were looking to relocate to Los Angeles as early as next season, but while the Rams will move for the 2016 campaign, another team could join them later.

    The San Diego Chargers have up to one year to decide if they want to join them in the new stadium. If not, the Oakland Raiders then will get a year to decide about making the same move.

    While LA fans were overjoyed, St. Louis NFL supporters were heartbroken, stung again after luring the Rams from LA in 1994 after having lost the Cardinals to Arizona in 1988.

    “The NFL ignored the facts, the loyalty of St. Louis fans who supported the team through far more downs than ups and a strong market and viable plan for a new stadium,” St. Louis mayor Francis Slay said.

    But NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has long warned cities that modern venues mean more than loyal ticketbuyer support when it comes to providing proper support for NFL teams.

    “Relocation is a painful process,” Goodell said. “It was a difficult decision for the ownership but we also recognised this was our opportunity.”

    All three hopefuls had previously been based in LA, the Rams and Raiders leaving in 1994 to begin the city’s NFL drought. The Rams are expected to return to the Los Angeles Coliseum as a temporary home until the new stadium is complete.

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