Image: The stadium will take three years to build

Minnesota Vikings - the Minneapolis, US-based National Football League (NFL) team - is a step closer to a new stadium after the proposals were approved by state lawmakers.

Legislation for the US$975m (EUR752m, £605m) project was passed by both the House of Representatives and Senate, with the plans now set to enter the conference committee stage.

The planned 1.5 million sq ft (139,355sq m) multi-purpose facility will have a capacity of up to 65,000, which can be expanded to 72,000 in order to host the Super Bowl.

It is expected the stadium itself will cost US$828m (EUR638m, £514m), with the remainder of the cost relating to on-site infrastructure and relocation.

The new Minneapolis stadium, which will also be able to accommodate Major League Soccer and political conventions, is expected to take three years to build.

Details: www.vikings.com