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New Las Vegas Stadium

New Las Vegas Stadium
An abstract building with multiple dome-shaped elements on its exterior. A casino hotel is visible in the background.
An artist's rendering of the stadium, as viewed from East Tropicana Avenue. The Excalibur is visible behind it.
Map
Location
Coordinates36°05′58″N 115°10′12″W / 36.09944°N 115.17000°W / 36.09944; -115.17000
Public transitMGM Grand (LV Monorail station)
OwnerLas Vegas Stadium Authority (LVSA)
OperatorLas Vegas Athletics
Capacity33,000
Acreage9 acres (3.6 ha)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundJune 23, 2025
OpenedJanuary 2028 (planned)
Construction cost$1.7 billion[1]
Architect
General contractorMortenson-McCarthy Joint Venture
Tenants
Las Vegas Athletics (MLB) (c. 2028)
Website
ballparkexperience.athletics.com

The New Las Vegas Stadium is a fixed-roof ballpark under construction on the site of the former Tropicana Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is to be the home stadium of the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB), starting in 2028 after they move from Oakland, California.

The stadium is projected to cost $1.5 billion, of which $380 million would come from taxpayers. The new stadium would mark the first time that the Athletics franchise has played in a new stadium of their own without another sports team tenant since the 1909 completion of Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Background

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See also: Oakland Athletics relocation to Las Vegas

On May 11, 2021, Major League Baseball permitted the Oakland Athletics to explore moving if the team could not persuade the city of Oakland to replace Oakland Coliseum by 2024. In April 2023, negotiations between the City of Oakland and the Athletics organization for a new ballpark ended. The team declared its intention to partially fund and move into a new $1.5 billion 35,000-seat retractable stadium at the former site of the Wild Wild West Gambling Hall & Hotel.[2] On May 4, Nevada governor Joe Lombardo announced legislation to spend public money on the proposed ballpark.[3][4] On May 9, the Athletics changed the proposal to a 30,000-seat partially retractable stadium on the site of the Tropicana Las Vegas, with plans to demolish the Tropicana and build a new 1,500-room hotel and casino. The project is expected to cost $1.5 billion.[5]

On May 26, the Athletics released renderings of the 33,000-seat ballpark in Las Vegas to the public designed by Schrock KC Architecture.[6] By May 29, the legislative package for the stadium, known as SB509, was drafted in the Nevada Legislature. Lombardo issued the legislation, renamed SB1, in a special session on June 7. The legislative package was passed in the Legislature and signed by Lombardo on June 15.[7][8]

The new ballpark will be surrounded by a new Bally's Las Vegas, a 3,005-room integrated resort.[9]

Financing

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The stadium is estimated to cost $1.5 billion, of which $380 million will come from public funds and the rest coming from the private sector.[10]

In May 2024, the Athletics hired investment firm Galatiotio Sports Partners to raise $500 million for the ballpark.[11] By May 14, the Supreme Court of Nevada rejected Schools Over Stadiums' effort to put public funding for the ballpark on the ballot.[12] In May 2025, Aramark was awarded a 20-year food-and-beverage contract which included a financial investment in the team and stadium.[13]

History

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2023

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Three days after SB1 was approved, Bally's chairman Soo Kim told KTNV-TV that the Tropicana might not be razed for the ballpark until two years later into construction and that there was a scenario where part of the resort-casino could remain after the ballpark is complete. He also noted that the ballpark would include a new casino resort and a separate, adjacent sports-themed attraction.[14] On June 21, the Athletics officially began the process of moving to Las Vegas by beginning an application to MLB.[15]

Two weeks after the bill's approval, the Athletics revealed that Bally's would provide 3 to 4 more acres of land on the Tropicana for the ballpark with plans to hire a design architect, a construction firm and a project manager amid concerns about its size. Clark County spokeswoman Jennifer Cooper said her county could not issue $120 million until other agreements were finalized and the Athletics deposit $100 million for the project.[16]

In July 2023, Steve Hill of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) revealed that the Athletics would use just $340 million of the $380 million in public funding available to finance the new ballpark at the Tropicana.[17] Two days later, Hill said that the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would meet on August 24 to detail the moving process.[18] Brad Schrock, the head director of the Athletics' ballpark design, said that the project could have up to 33,000 seats.[19] By July 27, Schrock also revealed that the ballpark would turn four acres of its site into a plaza similar to T-Mobile Arena.[20] Additionally, the Athletics announced that they would select Gensler or the joint bid by HNTB (which participated in the construction of Allegiant Stadium, the current home of the National Football League's Las Vegas Raiders) and Bjarke Ingels Group as the design team for the ballpark by November for the new renderings with the latter previously involved in the scrapped Howard Terminal ballpark plans in Oakland.[21]

In August, Athletics president Dave Kaval revealed that the New Las Vegas Stadium would have a capacity of 33,000 seats as opposed to 30,000 in the initial plans.[22] On August 21, the Athletics announced that a joint venture between the Minneapolis-based Mortenson Company and McCarthy Building Companies would serve as the construction manager for the ballpark.[23]

In September, the Athletics hired Creative Artists Agency sub-division CAA ICON as the consulting firm for the ballpark in overseeing project management such as the architect and managers.[24] By September 13, the ballpark was announced to be climate-controlled and contain a retractable roof to allow for an open-air atmosphere and protect spectators from the heat.[25]

In October, the Las Vegas Stadium Authority revealed that construction for the new stadium was slated to tentatively begin in April 2025 with a completion date of January 2028 and a 30-year, rent-free lease for the Athletics along with the option for the team to buy the stadium and pay for all operations to maintain "facility standards".[26] The organization also voted to approve a $700,000 retainer for the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP.[27]

In November, the MLB owners unanimously approved the move and paved the way for the stadium's construction. It will be the first time since 2019 that they and the Raiders play in the same city, although each team will now have its own separate venue instead of sharing the same one, as they did in Oakland. The move will leave Oakland with no major league sports teams, as the National Basketball Association's Golden State Warriors have returned to San Francisco.[28]

2024

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By March, updated renderings of the ballpark were revealed to the public. They showed a fixed roof inspired by baseball pennants, multi-tiered seating, the world's largest cable-net window facing Las Vegas Boulevard, a jumbotron, and a three-acre plaza. The design was created by the Bjarke Ingels Group and HNTB.[29][30]

On April 2, the Tropicana Las Vegas closed after 67 years.[31] On October 9, 2024, the Tropicana Hotel was demolished by implosion, and site-leveling efforts ensued.[32] Plans submitted to Clark County project three 495-foot hotel towers housing more than 3,000 hotel rooms on the northeast and southwest corners of the lot, beside the 290-foot-tall stadium.[9] Construction on the ballpark was to begin in spring 2025.

In May 2024, the president of Las Vegas Events said that the National Finals Rodeo could move to the new stadium. The annual December event had been held at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas since 1985.[33]

2025: Groundbreaking

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Construction on the ballpark began in May 2025 with foundation work.[34] A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 23, 2025.[35][36][37]

References

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  1. ^ Maathuis, Chris (December 2, 2024). "A's ballpark price tag set to increase on Las Vegas Strip". KLAS-TV. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  2. ^ Ackers, Mick (April 19, 2023). "Major-league deal: A's to purchase land near Strip for new ballpark". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  3. ^ Wright, Jarah (May 5, 2023). "A's package could be introduced to state lawmakers by the end of the month". KTNV-TV. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  4. ^ McCandless, C.C.; Schultz, Jaclyn (May 4, 2023). "Nevada governor creating A's ballpark bill, wants bill passed by end of session". KVVU-TV. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Stutz, Howard. "A's pivot to new site for Vegas baseball stadium, lowering public funding request". The Nevada Independent. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  6. ^ Akers, Mick (May 26, 2023). "A's Las Vegas Strip ballpark images released". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  7. ^ Golonka, Sean; Mueller, Tabitha; Solis, Jacob; Stutz, Howard (June 15, 2023). "Lombardo signs A's baseball stadium funding bill; relocation hurdles remain". The Nevada Independent.
  8. ^ "SB1". Nevada Legislature. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Akers, Mick (October 16, 2024). "A's Las Vegas ballpark may be flanked by Bally's towers". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  10. ^ Stern, Gabe (May 30, 2023). "Economic boost or big business hand-out? Nevada lawmakers consider A's stadium financing". AP News.
  11. ^ Anderson, BJ (May 1, 2024). "A's hire investment firm to help raise $500 million for new Las Vegas stadium, per report". CBS Sports.
  12. ^ Stern, Gabriel (May 14, 2024). "Nevada Supreme Court rejects teachers union-backed appeal to put A's public funding on '24 ballot". Associated Press.
  13. ^ "Aramark wins A's Las Vegas ballpark concessions". Sports Business Journal. June 9, 2025. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  14. ^ Horwarth, Bryan (June 19, 2023). "Bally's Executive: Tropicana likely won't be touched for up to 2 years". KTNV.
  15. ^ Akers, Mick (June 21, 2023). "A's begin relocation application process with MLB". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  16. ^ Stutz, Howard (June 29, 2023). "Amid questions over stadium size, A's move to Vegas slowed by relocation vote". The Nevada Independent. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  17. ^ Akers, Mick (July 13, 2023). "A's not likely to use all $380M coming their way for Vegas ballpark". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  18. ^ Akers, Mick (July 30, 2023). "A's to Vegas: What's next in the relocation process?". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  19. ^ Akers, Mick (July 26, 2023). "A's Vegas ballpark capacity could be more than 30K". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  20. ^ Akers, Mick (July 30, 2023). "A's want Las Vegas ballpark plaza to have elements of T-Mobile". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  21. ^ Akers, Mick (July 30, 2023). "Open-air feel challenge for A's Las Vegas ballpark design". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  22. ^ Stutz, Howard (August 15, 2023). "A's president: Ownership to fund 'one of the largest equity contributions ever' for Las Vegas stadium". The Nevada Independent.
  23. ^ "A's select Mortenson McCarthy as Construction Manager for Las Vegas Ballpark" (Press release). Mortenson. August 21, 2023.
  24. ^ Akers, Mick (September 7, 2023). "A's hire Las Vegas ballpark project consulting firm". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  25. ^ Horwath, Brian (September 13, 2023). "How we got here and what's next for the Oakland Athletics in their bid to build a ballpark on the Vegas Strip". KTNV-TV.
  26. ^ Schultz, Jaclyn (October 26, 2023). "Construction timeline for proposed A's Las Vegas ballpark detailed in lease docs". KVVU-TV.
  27. ^ Harrison, Casey (October 26, 2023). "Stadium authority takes major step toward new Las Vegas ballpark". Las Vegas Sun.
  28. ^ Passan, Jeff (November 16, 2023). "MLB owners approve Athletics' planned move to Las Vegas". ESPN. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  29. ^ "A's unveil new renderings for ballpark in Las Vegas". MLB.com. March 5, 2024.
  30. ^ Akers, Mick (March 5, 2024). "Updated A's Las Vegas ballpark renderings revealed". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  31. ^ Yamat, Rio (April 2, 2024). "The Tropicana Las Vegas, a mob-era casino and Sin City landmark, closes after 67 years". Associated Press.
  32. ^ Yamat, Rio (October 8, 2024). "This mob-era Las Vegas casino is officially closed. Here are some big moments in its 67 years". AP News. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  33. ^ Akers, Mick (May 22, 2024). "Could the NFR shift to A's Las Vegas ballpark?". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  34. ^ Levitan, Corey (May 15, 2025). "Las Vegas A's Stadium Construction Underway". Casino.org. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  35. ^ Akers, Mick (June 9, 2025). "Athletics' Las Vegas ballpark groundbreaking ceremony date set". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  36. ^ Padilla, Cecilio; Riehl, Molly (June 23, 2025). "A's celebrate Las Vegas stadium groundbreaking". KOVR. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  37. ^ Akers, Mick (June 23, 2025). "'A great celebration': A's make 1st mark on Strip at ballpark ceremony". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
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