NLL Insider

Are the Stealth done in San Jose? (Matt J. Wiater)

NLL Insider has learned from several sources close to the franchise, that the San Jose Stealth will no longer be operating in the Bay Area in California, and are rumoured to potentially be moving to British Columbia.

At this point, it doesn’t sound as if the city of Vancouver will be an option for the team, but several other cities, some rumoured to be in the Okanagan Region in B.C., could be possibilities.

Although B.C. sounds like the most likely destination for the franchise, other sources have said that the current Stealth ownership have not ruled out moving the team to Stockton, California, apparently the only route that would keep the team in California at this point.

San Jose Stealth President and GM, Johnny Mouradian, was contacted by NLL Insider via email earlier today, but was unable to comment on any of the rumours currently surrounding the team.

Sources within the the organization did tell NLL Insider today that Stockton has been an option the team has contemplated previously, mainly due to the still reasonably new, 10,000 plus seat Stockton Arena, which opened its doors in 2005. The arena is home to the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder, PASL-Pro’s Stockton Cougars, and AF2’s Stockton Lightning.

Those same sources also say however, that Stockton is a much more unlikely destination versus the opportunities in B.C. presently, although much seems to be still up in the air on pretty much any front.

It was just over a week ago that the Portland Lumberjax announced that they would no longer be operating in the city of Portland, partially due to the current economic climate in the US. Both Vancouver and Seattle were rumoured destinations for the team, but there have been no concrete reports on the team’s future since last week’s unfortunate announcement.

The Stealth, who operated in San Jose for the past six seasons after moving from Albany, ended their season this past weekend, dropping a 17-5 decision to the Calgary Roughnecks in the NLL’s Western Final.

San Jose averaged just 4,129 fans per game this season, which marked the fourth consecutive season the franchise has sat dead last in league-wide attendance figures. The Buffalo Bandits led the league in attendance numbers this year, averaging just under 18,000 fans per home date.

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