Sarpy County Stadium Deal Official

(Omaha, NE) Omaha Royals president Alan Stein announced today the Royals are moving to their new ballpark in Sarpy County. As of 5:00 p.m. today, the contract approved on March 17, 2009 stands and plans to build the ballpark which will be the new home of the Omaha Royals at Highway 370 and 120th Street are moving forward.

"We are extremely pleased that we are going to stay in the Omaha metro area and will be playing baseball here for many years to come," said Stein. "The Royals have a strong bond with our fans and sponsors and the growth in attendance and increase in sponsor relationships is proof we have a relevant place in the metro's sports and entertainment community," Stein continued.

The Omaha Royals agreed to contribute $2.35 million toward the construction of the stadium and more than half of the $20.3 million dollar forecast over the life of the 25-year contract to retire the debt.

"We couldn't be happier that the Omaha Royals are staying in the metro area and that we were able to make their new home in Sarpy County," said Joni Jones, chairwoman of the Sarpy County Board. "The next step is to break ground on the ballpark, which we hope to do in the next month," Jones said.

It has long been the contention of the Omaha Royals that a smaller, more intimate family-oriented ballpark would be in the best interest of retaining Minor League Baseball in the metro. Stein said the new ballpark will provide new excitement for fans and facilitate the needs for Triple-A baseball.

About the Omaha Royals: Readers of Omaha Magazine voted the Omaha Royals as Best Omaha Sports Team in the magazine's 17th annual Best of Omaha Awards, published in its January/February 2009 edition. In 2008, 349,376 fans attended Omaha Royals home games, making the Royals the largest-drawing sports team or event in the metro area last year. It also marked the team's largest season attendance total since 2001, while the average of 5,375 fans per game last season was the club's highest figure since 2000. Omaha's Triple-A franchise has drawn over 300,000 fans a year to Rosenblatt for 21 consecutive seasons, dating back to 1988.