The Atlantic 10 today officially announced its move to Newport News, Va., from its office in Philadelphia, where it had been since 1995. Prior to that, it was in various towns in New Jersey, plus Pittsburgh and Morgantown, W.Va.

The league’s release was fairly vague on why it was making the move, except to say that the new offices were really nice.

“Moving the office to a new region of the Atlantic 10 footprint is an opportunity to further brand the A-10. Newport News is a vibrant, growing city and Hampton Roads serves as an educational, business, cultural, and leisure hub of the Mid-Atlantic region,” stated Commissioner Bernadette McGlade. “The staff and I are looking forward to the relocation and becoming immersed in the community. Occupying new, built-to-suit offices will enhance our working environment to serve our membership.”

From the league’s announcement:

The newly-constructed, state-of-the-art office will be housed in the energetic City Center at Oyster Point, which combines modern office buildings with a wide variety of restaurants and food merchants, upscale retail shops, a four-star hotel and luxurious condominiums and apartments, all within an established 700-acre area that makes up the Virginia Peninsula’s premier office park. Some of the prominent businesses that occupy the Class A office space, which is surrounded by the grand eight-acre Fountain Park, include RBC Centura Bank, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, The Boeing Company, Langley Federal Credit Union, and Harvey Lindsay Commercial Real Estate.

(There’s another quote in the release where Richmond basketball coach Chris Mooney endorses the deal, terming it “exciting” that the league offices are within driving distance of campus. Ironically, of all the teams in the A-10, the one that in many cases makes the least sense to be there is Richmond, since all of its regional rivals are in the Colonial Conference. For those who think SLU should be in the MVC because the schools are closer, then you would have to advocate Richmond being in the Colonial as well. And there are a lot of people in Virginia who think the same thing.)

On the cynical side — and I’m not saying this is what’s behind the move — one thing a move like this does is allow you to cut your staff without laying people off, since it’s a given that some people won’t make the move. Already, associate commissioner Ray Cella has said he’s not accompanying the league to Virginia. Ray, a classy guy and a really big (and I mean really big) New York Rangers fan, will be missed.

I really hadn’t planned on writing this much about the league’s office moving.