Los Angeles // The San Diego Chargers, St Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders have submitted applications to relocate their franchises to Los Angeles, the National Football League said late Monday.
The NFL released a statement confirming that they have received formal petitions from each of the three teams indicating they are ready to pay the $550 million relocation fee for the team that wins approval through a vote of the owners.
“Three teams -- the Oakland Raiders, St Louis Rams, and San Diego Chargers -- each submitted applications to our office today to relocate their franchises to the Los Angeles area beginning with the 2016 season,” the league said in a statement.
“Each team submitted the appropriate documentation in support of its application as required by the NFL Policy and Procedures for Proposed Franchise Relocations.”
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It said the applications would be reviewed by league staff and three league committees meeting in New York on Wednesday and Thursday.
Next week’s league meeting in Houston will also take up the applications, the statement added, noting that three quarters of NFL clubs -- 24 out of 32 -- must approve of a franchise relocation before it can go forward.
The Chargers said the biggest reason for wanting to move was a lack of a suitable state-of-the-art stadium.
“Today, the San Diego Chargers submitted to the National Football League the team’s application to relocate to Los Angeles,” the Chargers said in a statement.
“We have tried for more than 14 years, through nine separate proposals and seven different mayors, to create a world-class stadium experience for fans in San Diego.
“Despite these efforts, there is still no certain, actionable solution to the stadium problem. We are sad to have reached this point.”
The Chargers have pledged to respect the League owners’ final decision.
The Rams issued a brief statement indicating they had informed the NFL of their relocation proposal, effective for the 2016 NFL League Year.
All three teams have plans to develop a stadium in south Los Angeles.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke plans to build a stadium site in Inglewood near the Los Angeles International Airport, and there is a joint stadium plan in the south central suburb of Carson for the Chargers and Raiders.
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