Alsobrooks Hints at Pitch to Keep Washington Football Team
Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) hinted this week that the county is in the planning stages of developing incentives to convince the Washington Football Team to stay in Maryland.
During a virtual news conference discussing the recently ended Maryland General Assembly session and the $1.6 billion in state aid that the county secured, Alsobrooks suggested the county would like to develop a year-round sports and entertainment venue near FedEx Field.
“We’re hoping to have restaurants and have other entertainment and many other community uses that will go on all year long,” said Alsobrooks, who didn’t provide any other specifics about potential vendors.
Alsobrooks said officials are also seeking to attract the team’s practice facility to relocate from its current home in Ashburn, Va., and to encourage the franchise to set up its corporate headquarters at what she referred to as a “premiere sports and entertainment destination.”
Alsobrooks suggested that the approval of online sports betting and in-stadium sportsbook wagering by the state legislature will help build the county’s case.
“Sports betting, of course, we believe will be a key part of the pitch that we’re making to retain the Washington Football Team,” Alsobrooks said.
Prince George’s County will have the team at FedEx Field in Landover until at least the year 2027, when its lease runs out, but team officials are looking for a new stadium and have signaled might eventually leave and return to D.C.
The Washington Football Team has expressed interest in possibly building a new stadium at the site of the old RFK Stadium once it’s demolished.
During the news conference, Alsobrooks also said that the county has secured $11 million from the state capital budget to build an amphitheater in Largo to serve as an outdoor venue for live concerts and other entertainment. Alsobrooks said she was tired of seeing Prince Georgians listening to live music in supermarket parking lots during the summer.
“Three thousand beautiful people sitting on folding chairs in a parking lot on a hot day? No way,” she said.
As part of Maryland Matters’ content sharing agreement with WTOP, we feature this article from Ken Duffy. Click here for the WTOP News website. Josh Kurtz of Maryland Matters contributed to this report.