NCAA ties College World Series to new stadium

Months of negotiations remain to hash out the details of a new downtown home for the College World Series, but Omaha's mayor said Friday that the plan offers a "historic" chance to keep the championship in Omaha through 2030.

Rosenblatt Stadium

Seats: 23,145

Size: About 21 acres

Year built: 1947, for $1 million

Public investment: About $36 million in improvements have been made since 1989.

A plan to build a new ballpark north of the Qwest Center Omaha won the NCAA's blessing Friday, and city officials said they hope to finalize the stadium's design and financing plans by Jan. 1.

"This is a critical step in what is still a very long process. Now we can get to work on the details requested by the NCAA," Mayor Mike Fahey said.

Fahey's goal is a downtown home for the CWS by 2011.

Dennis Poppe, the NCAA's senior director for baseball and football, said: "We have a sense of direction, and we are moving forward."

Opponents of moving the CWS from its home at Rosenblatt Stadium said they are not giving up.

OMAHA.com