Raiders specialty Nevada license plate to go on sale next year

Fans of the silver and black in the Silver State will be able to kick off the new year by officially representing their favorite NFL team.

In January the Raiders Nevada specialty license plate will be available for purchase, the team announced Thursday.

The planned release would come a year and a half before the team relocates to Las Vegas and its new $1.8 billion, 65,000-seat domed stadium, located on Russell Road, just west of Interstate 15.

“Be part of this historic move and show your support of the Raiders by purchasing your Raiders license plate,” the announcement read.

The plate is predominantly black, with the Raiders’ infamous pirate logo on the left and the famous phrase of late owner Al Davis, “Commitment to Excellence,” at the bottom. The design is one of the two samples that Raiders’ President Marc Badain presented to the Committee on Specialty License Plates in May. The other was the same design but featured a silver background.

The plate will mark the team’s first specialty plate, as the Raiders never had one produced in California, where they have split time between Oakland and Los Angeles during the 58 years of the franchise’s history.

Fans can nab their own plate starting next year for $62 for a standard plate, or they can opt to pay an annual fee of $35 on top of the initial fee for a personalized plate. The fees are in addition to any other annual standard vehicle registration costs.

The Raiders Foundation will benefit from the plate sales, as $30 from each purchase will go toward the team’s charitable arm.

“The specialty plate program for the Raiders and the Raiders fans provides an opportunity to generate a sufficient amount of funds,” Badain said in a video presented to the Committee on Specialty License Plates in May. “This will give everybody in Nevada, not just Southern Nevada but the entire state, the ability to get a Raiders license plate for their car. Those funds will go to support programs all over the state.”

The Raiders license plate will mark the second major league sports franchise to have a Nevada plate, as the Golden Knights plate went on sale in October.

Fan interest in the Knights plate has been huge with over 11,000 orders being placed in its first two months of availability, according to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.

The Raiders hope to sell 17,000 plates in the first year, which would amass over $500,000 for their charitable arm, according to the team.

All proceeds generated will go toward a nonprofit organization of the Raiders Foundation’s choice each year that supports military, boosts youth development or grows the game of football in Southern Nevada, according to the Raiders.

“They’ve been doing great things in the community,” Badain said. “Our plan is that every dollar generated by this plate will go directly to causes. There will be no administrative expenses. We will not take any money out of the program. It will all go to the charitable causes.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.