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Long Beach emerges as option for Angels ballpark

Officials in Long Beach, California have approached Major League Baseball team the Los Angeles Angels over a possible relocation to the city, where the franchise would play at a new waterfront stadium.

Last month, the Angels reached an agreement with the City of Anaheim to continue playing at Angel Stadium (pictured) until 2020 but there are question marks over the team’s future thereafter.

The City of Anaheim has set its sights on developing an entertainment district described as “L.A. Live on steroids” in a bid to persuade the Angels to remain in the neighbourhood, but a fresh option has now emerged for the team in the shape of Long Beach.

Robert Garcia, the Mayor of Long Beach, confirmed to the Long Beach Post newspaper that the city has reached out to the Angels to discuss potential relocation.

“We are in the early stages of our due diligence and are exploring a variety of options for this property,” he said. “We have approached the Angels to express our interest and discuss the possibilities of this opportunity.”

Angels president John Carpino said in a statement to the Post: “As we have stated from the beginning, we must explore all our options to secure a long-term future for the Angels and provide fans with a high-quality experience in a renovated or new ballpark.”

The site that has been proposed previously housed the Ringling Bros. Circus. Any relocation would not occur until 2021 at the earliest in light of the Angels’ recent agreement with the City of Anaheim.

The Angels have played at Angel Stadium since 1966.

Image: The Rambling Man