A National Lacrosse League expansion team owned by billionaire Joseph Tsai will begin to play at the Valley View Casino Center in November 2018.
"I have a strong passion for lacrosse, and look forward to bringing the NLL to San Diego, said Tsai, vice chairman of the Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba Group. "Our team is committed to creating a fan-first experience and to being an integral part of the local community."
Tsai is 250th on Forbes' list of the world's richest people with a net worth of $8.7 billion. He played lacrosse at Yale.
The team name, logo and brand will be unveiled at a special event this fall. The team is accepting $50 deposits for season tickets.
The team will be the league's first in California since 2009 when the San Jose Stealth moved to Everett, Washington.
NLL commissioner Nick Sakiewicz called Tuesday's announcement of San Diego being awarded an expansion team "the culmination of months of work and part of the five-year strategic plan to grow the sport of lacrosse through the thoughtful expansion of the NLL."
The San Diego team increases the membership in the league founded in 1986 to 10, including four in Canada. The other five U.S. teams are the Buffalo Bandits, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, New England Black Wolves and Rochester Knighthawks.
“For us we’ve traditionally been an East Coast team, Canadian teams, northeast and San Diego is a key geographic market for us," said Sakiewicz. "In addition to a world-class owner and a market that is really a major league sports market.“
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Steve Govett will be the team's president and Josh Gross vice president of business operations, respectively.
Govett was president and general manager of the league's Colorado Mammoth for the past 15 years. Gross will be the vice president, business operations, a position he held with the Mammoth.
“It’s 5 on 5 with goalies so 6 on 6 on turf in a hockey set with turf over the ice," said Govett. "It’s an explosively fast game, with a number of hits and great shots and passing....ultimately the game with the best players in the world is second to none as far as entertainment goes.”
