Investor group wants to bring MLS team to Las Vegas

An investor group led by businessman Grant Gustavson submitted a bid to Major League Soccer to relocate the Vancouver Whitecaps to Las Vegas.

The pitch includes the group building a new, privately financed stadium in Las Vegas without the use of public funding, according to Jacqueline Peterson of Las Vegas-based R&R Partners public relations firm. The proposed stadium is not connected to any stadium project recently announced in Las Vegas, including the Starr Vegas project, according to R&R.

The group did not share details about its potential stadium or where it would be located, but said they plan to share more information in the coming weeks and months, Peterson said.

“Out of respect for the league’s deliberations and community stakeholders, we are refraining from sharing details of our proposal,” said Peterson, a spokesperson for the investor group. “We look forward to continuing to work for a positive outcome for the game, the fans, the league and Las Vegas.”

The Whitecaps could be on the move as the British Columbia government owns and operates BC Place, where the MLS team plays its home games. Lack of ownership of the facility has become an issue for team owner Greg Kerfoot and league officials. The issue led to MLS owners’ special committee meeting this week, when relocation to Las Vegas was discussed.

Gustavson has lived in Las Vegas since 2017 and is the grandson of B. Wayne Hughes, who was the co-founder of Public Storage and American Homes 4 Rent. Gustavson was mentored by Hughes before Hughes’ death in 2021.

Gustavson holds a bachelor’s degree in real estate finance from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. Gustavson’s LinkedIn notes that he is an entrepreneur with ties to multiple companies.

Gustavson also works with USC’s athletic department, helping establish their name, image and likeness department to attract elite athletes to the university.

Gustavson remains involved in managing his family’s Spendthrift Farm, one of the country’s premier thoroughbred farms, which has produced multiple Kentucky Derby winners.

Hughes was also a noted philanthropist, a trait Gustavson has embraced, with charitable endeavors including childhood wellness initiatives and efforts to make sports accessible to all in Las Vegas.

Gustavson’s group is one of two ownership groups looking at moving the Whitecaps to Las Vegas, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. One group is eyeing land located behind the Horseshoe, Paris Las Vegas and Planet Hollywood and the other is considering building a stadium in the Hughes Center, the source said. It is unclear which group is looking at either of the two sites in play.