Relocation of professional sports teams
Relocation of professional sports teams occurs when a team owner moves a team, generally from one metropolitan area to another, but occasionally between municipalities in the same conurbation. The practice is most common in North America, where a league franchise system is used and the teams are overwhelmingly privately owned. Owners who move a team generally do so seeking better profits, facilities, fan support, or a combination of these.
North America
Unlike most professional sport systems worldwide, North America does not have comprehensive governing bodies whose authority extends from the amateur to the highest levels of a given sport. North American sports generally do not operate a system of promotion and relegation in which poorly performing teams are replaced with teams that do well in lower-level leagues.
A city wishing to get a team in a major professional sports league can wait for the league to expand and award new franchises. However, such expansions are infrequent, and generally limited to a narrow window in time. Many current owners believe 32 is the optimal size for a major league due to playoff structure and ease of scheduling.[citation needed] As of 2021, each of the major leagues has between 30 and 32 franchises. The National Hockey League (NHL) has expanded to 32 teams, with the Vegas Golden Knights having become the league's 31st team in 2017 and the Seattle Kraken becoming the 32nd team in 2021.[1][2]
In past decades, aspiring owners whose overtures had been rejected by the established leagues would respond by forming a rival league in hopes that the existing major league would eventually agree to a
However, the upstart leagues owed their success in large part to the reluctance of owners in the established leagues to devote the majority of their revenues to player salaries and also to sports leagues' former reliance primarily on gate receipts for revenue.[citation needed] Under those conditions, an ambitious rival could often afford to lure away the sport's top players with promises of better pay, in hopes of giving the new league immediate respect and credibility from fans. Today, however, established leagues derive a large portion of their revenue from lucrative television contracts that would not be offered to an untested rival. Also, the activism of players' unions has resulted in the established leagues paying a majority of their revenues to players, thus the average salary in each of the big four leagues is now well in excess of $1 million per season.[citation needed]
Under present market and financial conditions, any serious attempt to form a rival league in the early 21st century would likely require hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars in investment and initial losses,[
Therefore, as long as leagues choose not to expand and/or reject a city's application, the only realistic recourse is to convince the owner(s) of an existing team to move it (or convince a prospective owner to purchase a team with the intent of moving it). Owners usually[
Moving sports teams is often controversial. Opponents criticize owners for leaving behind faithful fans and governments for spending millions of dollars of tax money on attracting teams. However, since sports teams in the United States are generally treated like any other business under
Newer sports leagues tend to have more transient franchises than more established, "major" leagues, but in the mid-1990s, several NFL and NHL teams moved to other cities, and the threat of a move pushed cities with major-league teams in any sport to build new stadiums and arenas using taxpayer money. The trend continued in the 2000s, when three National Basketball Association (NBA) teams moved in a seven-year span after there were no moves at all in the 16 years before it. Critics referred to the movement of teams to the highest-bidding city as "franchise free agency."
Australia and New Zealand
The two major professional sporting leagues in Australia are the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL). Both competitions were originally based in one city (Melbourne and Sydney respectively) and expanded to a national level, and through that process, there have been team moves, mergers and closures in both leagues. The clubs are owned by members, not privately, but the North American franchise model exists, which means entry to the league is restricted. The hybrid model has meant that the leading promoter of moving is the league itself, trying to grow the football code by encouraging poorly performing clubs to move interstate.
Europe
In Europe, moves are very rare[citation needed] because of the different relationship between clubs and their league in the European system of professional sports league organization. The practice is considered anathema.[3] In most European sports, teams can be relegated from their current league to a lower one or promoted to the one above.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Team moves in Latin America occur very rarely for the established teams with established bases. Smaller teams, either small team from large agglomerations or provincial teams with little or no fan base frequently move in search of a larger market and/or more affordable facilities, as frequently, there are only large complexes available with a necessity to groundshare with a larger club. The practice is considered anathema.[3]
Brazil
The first move of a
In other sports, such as volleyball, basketball or futsal, moving is more common, although it does not occur frequently.
Chile
- Santiago, until 1969, when they moved to Curicó, before folding in 1972.
- C.D. Green Cross, founded on June 27, 1916, were a sports club based in the city of Santiago until 1965, when they moved to Temuco and merged with the local football team Deportes Temuco. The combined team were known as Green Cross Temuco until 1985 when the club adopted its current name.
Colombia
In Colombia historic teams from first division are rarely moved, but newer teams created in second division are often moved from city to city looking for a responding fan base.
- Atlético Juventud, founded in 2007, moved from Soacha to Girardot in 2010, however the club dissolved later that same year, and its affiliation rights were bought by Fortaleza F.C.
- DIMAYOR's Assembly in an extraordinary meeting on July 14, 2014.[8][9] In March 2015, the club moved to Rionegro, changing its name to Águilas Doradas and then Rionegro Águilas.[10]
- Centauros Villavicencio in May 2011 moved from Villavicencio to Popayán considering its huge debts, the refusal of financial support from successive local authorities that deemed it as a feeder club for Deportes Quindío, and the support expressed from the Cauca Department Governorate for a football club in the department's capital city, thus becoming Universitario Popayán.[11]
- Tunjaafter being promoted to First Division.
- Uniautónoma FC.[12] At the end of 2015 Uniautónoma, in turn, moved to Palmira and became Orsomarso S.C.
- Estadio Pascual Guerrero.
- in 2016.
- Sucre Fútbol Club after it moved to Sincelejo, before another year passed and moved yet again to Montería, becoming Jaguares de Córdoba.
- Expreso Rojo decided to move back to the city of Fusagasugá, however, due to the poor performance the club moved to Soacha. In 2015, the team move back to Zipaquirá. The following season in 2016, the club was renamed as Tigres F.C.
Costa Rica
- Founded in 2004 as The club folded in 2011.
Honduras
- Real Patepluma and moved to Santa Bárbara for their final two seasons in the top tier of Honduran football before being excluded from the league.[17]
Jamaica
Mexico
Liga MX has a relegation system but its teams have some territorial rights recognized, perhaps due to U.S. influence as many league matches are aired in the U.S., where only traditional top-flight teams are perceived to most effectively reach the immigrant fan-base.
- In 1971, Cruz Azul moved from Tula de Allende to Mexico City.
- In 2003, Club Necaxa moved from Mexico City to Aguascalientes.
- In 2007, Atlante F.C. football club moved out of Mexico City to Cancún.
- In May 2013 Querétaro and became Querétaro F.C., which left the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrezwithout a first division football team.
- In May 2013 San Luis Potosí to Tuxtla Gutiérrez and became Chiapas F.C., which brought first division football back to the city.
- In May 2013, Atletico San Luis.
- In June 2020, Atlante F.C. football club moved back to Mexico City from Cancún.
- In June 2020,
Peru
In
- Estadio Mariano Melgar. The club was in a large amount of debt and sold 51% of the club to the vice-president of Atlético Chalaco. The club was renamed Total Chalaco and moved to Callao.
- Puno but at Juliaca, 102 miles away from its original base; this was the place from where their successful campaign for the Peruvian championshiptook place in 2019.
Venezuela
- Galicia de Aragua. In January 2002, they became a separate entity Aragua F.C. when they moved to Estadio Olímpico Hermanos Ghersi Páez.
- Metropolitanos F.C.
Asia
Team moves in Asia are done according to the type of sport played and/or the predominant style of league organization, as well as individual economic circumstances. For instance, in Japan there is a difference between Nippon Professional Baseball which is run like MLB, and the J.League which is run like European football leagues.
Club moves are also common when an amateur or semiprofessional club tries to acquire its own facilities to become a professional club, and no money and/or space is available to build their own in a long-established location.
China
Team moves in China are very common. Although China has a European-style promotion and relegation league system, the teams themselves are North American-style franchises, which means the teams are overwhelmingly privately owned and therefore more prone to moving. Owners who move a team generally do so seeking better profits, facilities, fan support, or a combination of these. There are neither rules regarding moves nor many established fan bases, outside a handful of top teams.
Hong Kong
- Dongguan Dongcheng, who moved the club to the Hong Kong First Division League. The club folded in 2009.
India
- In 2019, the Delhi Dynamos, a top-tier football club based in New Delhi to Bhubaneswar, and renamed the club Odisha FC.[19]
Iran
- Saba Qom F.C. was a team based in Qom, Iran, dissolved in 2018. The team was a former part of Saba Battery Club, owned by Saba Battery Co., and was moved to Qom in 2007, although they were formerly registered as a team from Tehran playing at Shahid Derakhshan Stadium of Robat Karim.
- In late May 2007 rumours of the dissolution of Pas Hamedan. The staff and players of the football team were move to Hamedan in order to form the team. Additionally the multisport Pas Cultural and Sport Club is only participate in amateur and youth sporting events. It is not clear if the management of Pas Sports Club will restart the football team in future years.[20]
- Gostaresh Foulad Tabriz F.C. based in Tabriz, founded in 2008, was owned by Mohammad Reza Zonuzi, an Iranian businessman and economist and was one of the few privately owned clubs in Iran's Premier League. In 2018, the club's ownership was moved to Amir Hossein Alagheband and the club moved to Urmia.
- Gahar Zagros.
- .
- During the 1980 outbreak of the Abadanafter the war.
Japan
Association football
The J.League is run similarly to European football leagues. In contrast to the baseball league it has allowed only a few teams to move out of crowded or unprofitable markets:
- The most prominent move was Tokyo Verdy moving from Kawasaki, Kanagawa to Tokyo.
- Maebashi, Gunma because Kusatsu does not have a large stadium. In 2024 they renamed themselves Thespa Gunmato reflect their status as the top team in their prefecture.
- Tokyo Verdy, FC Tokyo, Gamba Osaka and V-Varen Nagasaki play outside their city limits but in due to the specific nature of these large cities the circumstances are for practical reasons. (Nagasaki, which currently plays in nearby Isahaya, is in the process of building a new stadium in Nagasaki city proper.)
- not being fit for J.League football.
- Kyoto Sanga F.C. moved to a football-specific stadium in Kameoka, outside the city of Kyoto, in 2020.
Baseball
Nippon Professional Baseball is run in similar fashion to MLB and has moved several franchises out of crowded markets. Moves also happened when the teams changed ownership (which also sometimes involved changing the team name).
- Sapporo, Hokkaido in 2004. They moved outside Sapporo to a new stadium in Kitahiroshimain 2023, but did not change their name.
- SoftBankin 2004 but did not change location.
- Saitama Seibu Lions moved from Fukuoka to Tokorozawa, Saitama in 1979 after Nishi-Nippon Railroad sold the team to Seibu Railway.
Kyrgyzstan
- Spartak Stadium.
Lebanon
- Tripoli SC
Philippines
- Kaya F.C.–Makati moved from Makati to Iloilo City for the 2018 Philippines Football League season, becoming Kaya F.C.–Iloilo and made the Iloilo Sports Complex their home venue.[21][22][23] Prior to their move, Kaya F.C. had the University of Makati Stadium as their home stadium.[24]
- Maharlika Manila moved from Manila to Taguig for the 2024 Philippines Football League season, becoming Maharlika Taguig F.C. and made McKinley Hill Stadium as their home venue. Prior to their move, Maharlika Taguig had the Rizal Memorial Stadiumas their home stadium.
- Davao Aguilas F.C. moved their home stadium from Davao del Norte Sports Complex to the University of Makati Stadium for the 2024 Philippines Football League season.
South Korea
Association football
Football club moves were frequent in the 1980s and 1990s. South Korea has three national tiers, but as in the North American system, there was initially no promotion or relegation between them.
There were three professional football clubs
- Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.
- satellite city of Seoul, 21 km away. In 2004, Anyang LG Cheetahs returned to Seoul, assuming a small part of the construction costs of the vacant Seoul World Cup Stadium and renamed as FC Seoul.
- Jeju Island and the vacant Jeju World Cup Stadium, without notice, and rechristened Jeju United
- In 2003, Gyeongsangbuk-do after Gwangju founded the new professional club Gwangju FCin 2011.
Other sports
In South Korean major professional sports such as
In ice hockey,
Thailand
- Rayong Province Central Stadium.
Africa
South Africa
In South Africa most football clubs are privately owned, and club moves are relatively common. Several clubs, including top division
- Port Elizabeth to Polokwane.
- Kwa-Zulu Natal and became Thanda Royal Zulu.
- Benoni, Gauteng. In 2011, the Hellenic franchise took over the former Blaauwberg City FC, under the management of Mark Byrne. Byrne is looking to revive the quality of the 1970s, to become one of the best youth developments in the country. In 2013, the club acquired a SAB League franchise (South African 4th Division). In August 2016, the club announced that they had sold their SAFA Second Division franchise license to "ensure that we grow from strength to strength in achieving our aim to be the number one youth structure in Cape Town."[27]
- Platinum Stars as Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN) entered as the club's sponsor in 2006 and moved the team to play at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Phokeng. Club name also changed, when RBN bought 51% of the shares in May 2007.[29]
- Bethlehem.
- .
- Ekurhuleni.
- Vasco da Gama in 2016 was moved to Stellenbosch as Stellenbosch F.C.
See also
References
- ^ Rosen, Dan (June 24, 2015). "Board of Governors OKs start of expansion process". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^ Muir, Allan (July 21, 2015). "NHL expansion bid results disappoint league, leave Seattle out in cold". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^ a b Stefan Szymanski. National Pastime: How Americans Play Baseball and the Rest of the World plays Soccer. p. 130.
- ^ Rodolfo Rodrigues (2009). Escudos dos Times do Mundo Inteiro. Panda Books. p. 45.
- ^ (in Portuguese) Guaratinguetá oficializa mudança para cidade de Americana – Globoesporte.com (October 15, 2010)
- ^ "É Oficial! Americana volta para Guaratinguetá" (in Portuguese). Futebol Interior. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
- ^ "Itagüí - Historia".
- ^ ""Las Águilas Doradas fueron expulsadas de Itagüí", Fernando Salazar" ["The "Golden Eagles" were expelled from Itagüí", Fernando Salazar]. Win Sports. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
- ^ "De manera unánime, la DIMAYOR autorizó a Águilas Doradas jugar en Pereira" [Unanimously, DIMAYOR authorized Águilas Doradas to play at Pereira]. Win Sports. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ "Águilas ya tiene 'nido': jugará en Rionegro". Futbolred.com (in Spanish). March 18, 2015.
- ^ "Centauros ya no es de Villavicencio y ahora es de Popayán" [Centauros is no longer from Villavicencio and now it is from Popayán]. Antena 2. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ^ "Historia". Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
- ^ Alejandro Fonseca Hidalgo (January 12, 2010). "Otro nombre y mismas deudas" (in Spanish). diarioextra.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
- ^ Brujas es un hervidero Trasladarse de Nicoya a Escazú aumentó penurias a jugadores Nación (in Spanish)
- ^ Brujas a Desamparados Nación (in Spanish)
- ^ Honduras 2002/03 – RSSSF
- ^ Honduras 2003/04 – RSSSF
- ^ Portmore United move ahead Archived 2005-03-18 at the Wayback Machine – Jamaica Gleaner
- ^ "ISL: Delhi Dynamos relocate base to Odisha | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- ^ تيم فوتبال بزرگسالان پاس رسما به همدان انتقال يافت؛ (in Persian). ISNA. Archived from the original on 11 June 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
- ^ "Kaya FC signs agreement for transfer to Iloilo". Fox Sports Philippines. February 6, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ Co, Adrian Stewart (February 2, 2018). "Kaya FC makes Iloilo home field". Panay News. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
- ^ Ferer, Cindy (February 6, 2018). "Kaya Futbol Club chooses Iloilo as its new home court". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ "Kaya FC is now Kaya FC–Makati, makes UMak its home stadium". Una Kaya. January 11, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- Dong-a Ilbo. January 11, 1984.
- ^ 육,해,공 3군통합 스포츠팀 상무 창단 (in Korean). Maeil Business Newspaper. January 12, 1984.
- user-generated source]
- )
- ^ "Platinum Stars club history". Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
External links
- "Modell Announces Browns' Move to Baltimore" by Charles Babington and Ken Denlinger, The Washington Post, November 7, 1995.
- "Major League Baseball Team Histories" by Major League Baseball, 2015.
- "History of NFL franchises, 1920–present" by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2015.
- "NBA History: Teams" by the National Basketball Association, 2013.
- "National Hockey League (NHL) Expansion History" by Razulu's Street, 2004.