LAS VEGAS, NV (KOAA) — The soon-to-be new-look Mountain West Conference also will have a new home.
According to our news partners at The Gazette, Colorado Springs has served as the conference’s only headquarters since its inception in 1999, but that will change with a move to Las Vegas slated for July 2026.
“A city of innovation and opportunity,” Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said, referring to Las Vegas in her annual address at Mountain West media days on Wednesday, “just like the Mountain West. Really excited to call Las Vegas home in the future.
The relocation came as part of negotiations with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during the conference realignment whirlwind that ensnarled the Mountain West in September 2024.
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State abruptly announced plans to break from the conference for the Pac-12, leaving the Mountain West scrambling to retain the rest of its membership. Ultimately, Utah State would join the departing programs, who will join the Pac-12 starting in the 2026-27 school year.
Air Force and UNLV stayed, thanks to the incentive of a 24.5% distribution of the exit fees — an expected payout of roughly $18 million. The four other remaining full-member institutions shared an 11.5% cut and Hawaii, a football-only member, took 5%.
“During realignment, it happened pretty quickly,” Nevarez said. “UNLV and Air Force were definitely leaders in committing to staying together. … The final landing place was something that our entire league that stayed on agreed to.”
For UNLV, that final landing place included the promise of moving the conference offices to Las Vegas.
The extent of the move wasn’t initially clear, however. In March, sources indicated to The Gazette that the move might have been symbolic in nature, with perhaps some of the league’s operations remaining in Colorado Springs.
On Wednesday, Nevarez was clear that the move will be complete and would include the conference office, studio, replay center and daily operations.
The only lingering connection to Colorado Springs will be in the form of an unspecified number of the Mountain West’s 22 employees staying in town and working remotely. Gradually, however, new hires will be assigned to Las Vegas to complete the migration.
The move didn’t come without a push from Colorado Springs to keep the conference.
Before to the realignment shuffling, the city and the Mountain West Conference were working together on options to expand in Colorado Springs. The conference had previously shared a replay center with the Big 12 in Dallas, but that agreement was coming to an end.
The city had worked with the conference to consider adding on to its headquarters near Interquest and Voyager parkways and had coordinated tours for conference officials at various commercial spaces.
The city had also worked out discounted rates with hotels, including The Broadmoor, to host conventions.
“We put a lot of time and effort and a lot of resources behind this,” said Davis Tutt, the senior director of sports tourism and Olympic engagement for the Colorado Springs Sports Corp., which works on behalf of the city to attract and retain sports organizations. “They consistently indicated they were happy with what the city of Colorado Springs provided.”
Then came the agreement with UNLV, and the conversations shifted. Short of finding roughly 30,000 square feet of office space to donate to the conference, which it could not produce on short notice, the city and Sports Corp. didn’t see a way to persuade the conference to stay.
“I think it’s definitely disappointing for the city, particularly given how much effort we did put behind it,” Tutt said. “And for us, it’s disappointing, because the Mountain West has been here since the beginning.”
In a statement to The Gazette, Jessie Kimber, the city’s economic development director, echoed Tutt’s assertion that efforts were made to entice the conference to continue calling Colorado Springs home.
“The City worked closely with the Mountain West Conference to encourage them to remain in Colorado Springs, partnering across government, private-sector and nonprofit agencies to highlight our community’s unique strengths and location as Olympic City USA,” Kimber said. “Our economic development teams provided personalized service and robust support throughout the process, underscoring our commitment to the conference and its future.
“Ultimately, the decision to relocate was likely driven by specific demands from UNLV tied to the broader Pac-12 realignment. We value the strong relationship we’ve built with the conference leadership and their teams and wish them continued success in their future, and we will continue to bid for their championships to ensure our community gets to experience the best of Division 1 athletics.”
The Gazette's Brent Briggeman and Breeanna Jent contributed to this web story.
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