NLL: San Jose Stealth Relocating to Seattle Metropolitan Area

The San Jose Stealth professional indoor lacrosse team has announced it will relocate to the Seattle metropolitan area for the 2010 season.

The Stealth, which has struggled to draw an audience in Northern California, will be renamed and rebranded. The franchise will play at the 8,300-seat Comcast Arena in Everett, 30 miles north of Seattle, according to a report on NLL.com.

“We are very excited about our move to the Comcast Arena at Everett and to introduce the region to the thrilling and fast-paced sport of professional indoor lacrosse,” Stealth owner Denise Watkins said in a news release.

“It is a wonderful opportunity for the franchise. There is a strong lacrosse community already present in Everett and the greater Seattle area. We look forward to becoming an active partner and helping to continue the growth of lacrosse with local high schools and clubs.”

This will mark the first time a professional lacrosse team has been located in Washington. The upcoming season will mark the 24th year of the National Lacrosse League, which used to be called the Major Indoor Lacrosse League and started in the 1980s with four franchises in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York.

“We’re excited about coming to the greater Seattle area and the great State of Washington, where the sport of lacrosse is booming,” NLL Commissioner George Daniel said in a news release. “We look forward to seeing NLL games played at the Comcast Arena in Everett this upcoming season and beyond.”