Fans in St. Louis, San Diego, Oakland get chance to speak at end of month
ST. LOUIS -- Football fans in St. Louis, San Diego and Oakland will have a chance to have their voices heard before the league makes a decision on the future of their local NFL franchises.
The NFL announced Monday that it will host a public hearing in each of the three markets at the end of the month, allowing fans of the Rams, Chargers and Raiders to ask questions and express opinions directly to league executives on the subject of their teams and their potential relocations to Los Angeles.
The meetings are set for Oct. 27, 28 and 29 in St. Louis, San Diego and Oakland, respectively. NFL executive vice president Eric Grubman, who has been in charge of relocation and the efforts being made to keep teams in their home markets, will lead the meetings and be joined by other key executives.
The St. Louis meeting will take place at the Peabody Opera House, the San Diego meeting is set for the Spreckels Theatre, and the Oakland meeting will be at the Paramount Theatre. Each meeting will begin at 7 p.m. local time and run approximately three hours. The meetings will also be streamed live online at NFL.com/publichearings.
Season-ticket holders will have the first opportunity to acquire tickets for the meetings, but seats will be set aside for non-season-ticket holders.
All three meetings require registration and a ticket. Fans can register for tickets at the website for each team involved -- Rams, Chargers and Raiders -- beginning at 8 a.m. local time Tuesday.
In an effort to hear from as many people as possible, the league will allow each fan a three-minute maximum for questions or comments. For fans who cannot attend, there is an opportunity to submit written questions or comments that will be read the night of the meeting.
The NFL's relocation guidelines require town hall hearings in all home markets before a franchise move is considered. The Rams, Chargers and Raiders have been angling for a possible relocation to Los Angeles as soon as 2016 for most of this year.
While no timetable is set on when a relocation decision could be made, a vote is expected sometime early in 2016.
