The drama surrounding San Diego’s quest to build a new stadium took yet another turn yesterday, with the Chargers making public for the first time their desire to have tax payer money included in any proposal for the facilities’ funding. Team officials had been adamant up to this point in saying that the Chargers would foot the bill for the new stadium, once they had an agreement in place on a location that is.

According to Matthew T. Hall of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Chargers have switched tactics in mid stream due to economic uncertainty and other key issues preventing them from being able to completely finance the deal in the private sector. San Diego currently plays in the outdated Qualcomm Stadium, which is situated east of the lucrative downtown district along I-8 in the Mission Valley area.

The Chargers have spent much of the past seven years studying multiple locations for a new stadium site, running into countless obstacles, and angering several key city officials in the process. San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders has long been opposed to using public money to build a new stadium for the team, but has softened his stance considerably in recent months, and is now supportive of the Chargers efforts to find a new home.