Potomac Nationals Move To Fredericksburg Approved

FREDERICKSBURG, VA—In a unanimous vote, Fredericksburg's city council gave its consent Tuesday night to a deal that will bring the Potomac Nationals Class A baseball franchise to the city in time for the 2020 season. The team will continue play next season at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, its home since 1984.

P-Nats owner Art Silber says the team likely will have a new name when it moves into its new digs, which will be a 5,000-seat stadium at Celebrate Virginia near Central Park on Interstate 95. The move was announced last month after efforts to build a new home in the Woodbridge area failed.

Fredericksburg will make annual payments of $1.05 million to the team for 30 years, with the payment projected "to be offset through new tax revenue earned at the stadium and events revenue from non-game days." For years, as chronicled by the Free Lance-Star, the city has tried and failed to lure a minor league team.

City Council member Matt Kelly, according to the newspaper, said Tuesday that "I truly believe that this will be an amenity to the community that will return to the city tenfold. I'm not even talking about revenue, just community building, hopefully working toward diversity as Councilor (Chuck) Frye has brought up, and really, truly bring us together.

"This has never been an issue for me as a being moneymaker. This is a community amenity that greatly enhances our residents' quality of life."

Image via Potomac Nationals