LA City Council backs deal for downtown NFL stadium

Published November 20, 2014

Los Angeles moved one step closer toward building a downtown football stadium on Friday, when the city council approved a $1.2-billion proposal.

The next step before construction of Farmers Field can begin, possibly in March 2013, is to convince an NFL team to move.

"Farmers Insurance is proud to be part of the team working to make Farmers Field a reality in downtown Los Angeles," said Jeff Dailey, CEO of Farmers Insurance Group. "This is a community that we believe in, and that we have served for nearly 85 years. We are ready for football to return to Los Angeles - and we look forward to the revitalization that Farmers Field will bring."

The proposal by Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns stakes in the Staples Center, the Los Angeles Kings hockey team and the L.A. Galaxy soccer team, includes a 76,000-seat stadium.

Los Angeles is the only major-market city in the United States not to host a National Football League team.

Both the Rams and Raiders departed southern California prior to the 1995 season -- the Rams for St. Louis and the Raiders back to Oakland. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which opened in 1923, played host to both teams.

The Rams came from Cleveland to LA in 1946 and called the Coliseum home until moving to Anaheim for the 1980 season. The Raiders moved in during their original relocation from Oakland following the 1981 campaign and stayed through 1994.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/la-city-council-backs-deal-for-downtown-nfl-stadium