A’s Las Vegas ballpark timeline: How MLB team arrived at groundbreaking day
Monday’s Athletics ballpark groundbreaking ceremony marked the culmination of four years of work.
Here’s a timeline of the A’s Las Vegas relocation process:
May 11, 2021 — The Oakland A’s, unable to reach a deal to replace crumbling Oakland Coliseum, announce they will explore relocation.
May 27, 2021 — The A’s end their first fact-finding trip to Las Vegas, with A’s owner John Fisher and then-President Dave Kaval meeting elected officials from Clark County, Henderson, the city of Las Vegas and executives from Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment. Kaval also attended a Vegas Golden Knights playoff game with team owner Bill Foley.
July 20, 2021 — The Oakland City Council opts to approve its own Bay Area stadium proposal over the A’s plans. At the time, Kaval said that action amounted to a “no vote” for the team and that it was not an effective path toward a new Northern California ballpark.
Dec. 17, 2021 — Results of a market survey of Southern Nevada concluded the A’s would be successful in Las Vegas. More than 17,000 people were surveyed by CSL International marketing group, the company commissioned by the A’s. The results indicated that having a ballpark located on the Strip wouldn’t be a deterrent for fans to attend games.
June 16, 2022 —MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says the A’s need to have a new stadium deal in place soon, intensifying the team’s Las Vegas negotiations.
April 19, 2023 — A deal is announced for the A’s to build their planned Las Vegas ballpark on 49 acres at Tropicana Avenue and Dean Martin Drive. The land, owned by Red Rock Resorts, Station Casinos’ parent company, is the site of the former Wild Wild West hotel and was going to be sold to the MLB team.
April 20, 2023 — Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao announced the city had ended negotiations with the MLB team on a potential $12 billion waterfront ballpark and mixed-use project.
May 9, 2023 — The A’s and Bally’s Corp. announce they have agreedto build an MLB ballpark on 9 acres of the 35-acre Tropicana hotel site, shifting the A’s away from their deal with Red Rock Resorts. The ballpark is projected to cost $1.5 billion.
May 26, 2023 — The first renderings of what the A’s Las Vegas ballpark could look like are released. The initial images showed a potential retractable outfield wall that would open to a view of the Strip.
June 14, 2023 — The Nevada Legislature passes Senate Bill 1 during a special session, earmarking up to $380 million in public funding toward the team’s Las Vegas stadium. The funding would come from state tax credits and from a Clark County special tax district around the stadium site.
June 15, 2023 — Gov. Joe Lombardo signs Senate Bill 1 into law.
June 30, 2023 —The Nevada State Education Association files paperwork to form political action committee dubbed Schools Over Stadiums to oppose public funding for the A’s ballpark.
Aug. 21, 2023 — Joint venture Mortenson-McCarthy is selected to serve as construction manager for the Las Vegas ballpark. Mortenson-McCarthy was the construction manager for Allegiant Stadium.
Aug. 23, 2023 — A’s owner John Fisher tells the Review-Journal in an exclusive interview that the team has formally submitted its Las Vegas relocation application to MLB.
Oct. 25, 2023 — Information about the A’s ballpark is heard for the first time during a Las Vegas Stadium Authority board meeting. First drafts of the community benefits and lease agreements are presented.
Nov. 16, 2023 — The A’s receive approval to move to Las Vegas, via a unanimous vote from MLB team owners at a meeting in Arlington, Texas. The occasion is celebrated in Las Vegas with the Sphere displaying a baseball with an A’s logo and the message “Welcome to Las Vegas.”
March 5, 2024 — The A’s unveil new stadium renderings, featuring a new armadillo-like shape that also resembles the Sydney Opera House in Australia. The updated renderings exclude a retractable wall in the outfield and feature a massive, 36,000-square-foot cable-net glass wall that encloses the ballpark.
April 4, 2024 — After also considering Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, the A’s announce they will play the 2025-2027 MLB seasons in Sacramento, at Triple-A ballpark Sutter Health Park.
May 13, 2024 — The Nevada Supreme Court rejects an effort by Schools Over Stadiums, the political action committee created by the Nevada State Education Association, to put A’s stadium public funding on the ballot in the 2024 election.
Sept. 26, 2024 — The A’s play their final home game at the Oakland Coliseum, the stadium the team had called home since 1968.
Oct. 9, 2024 — The nearly 70-year old Tropicana hotel and casino is reduced to rubble in just 22 seconds after being imploded during a late-night ceremony. The implosion was marked with a seven-minute fireworks show and an aerial drone show.
Dec. 1, 2024 — The cost of the Athletics ballpark grew by $250 million to $1.75 billion. The increase was due to inflation and 70,000 square feet of added elements within the stadium during the design process, including additional suites and clubs, enhanced general admission areas and upgraded player spaces.
Dec. 5, 2024 — The final three ballpark-related agreements with the stadium authority are approved. The approval of the lease, non-relocation and development agreements occurred after 17 months of work. Stadium authority Chairman Steve Hill called the moment a “really significant day for Las Vegas.”
March 6, 2025 — Former Raiders executive Marc Badain is hired as A’s president, following the resignation of Kaval at the end of 2024. Badain led the charge to build Allegiant Stadium and relocate the Raiders to Las Vegas from Oakland. Clark County Commissioner Marylin Kirkpatrick praised Badain’s hiring, calling him well-respected and noting, “I am excited to work alongside him as we embark on yet another large venue in our community.”
April 2, 2025 — Clark County approves the A’s land use and zoning plans for the stadium site. The move allows the A’s to begin pulling permits to get work started on the ballpark.
April 22, 2025 — Crews begin early grading work on the stadium site after the team received a permit to carry out the work from Clark County.
April 30, 2025 — The A’s announce plans to open a Las Vegas ballpark preview center, which will also serve as the team’s sales office, in UnCommons in the southwest Las Vegas Valley.
May 21, 2025 — Clark County commissioners approve the A’s performance agreement for the ballpark, which includes a decommissioning plan if the A’s can’t finish the project.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.
