The National Lacrosse League's board of governors voted today to approve Edmonton to begin play in 2006, the Canadian Press reported this evening.

An official announcement is expected tomorrow (10:45 AM local; 12:45 PM Eastern) at Rexall Place in Edmonton.

The new team is expected to be known as the Edmonton Speed.

On Tuesday, the board set aside Bruce Urban's bid to purchase the dormant Ottawa Rebel franchise and relocate it to Rexall Place, citing the need for more information about the Western RV Country president.

"It's not uncommon for a [prospective] owner to present an application to the board and then there needs to be some more information," NLL commissioner Jim Jennings said yesterday. "Everybody is so hot on this thing [because] Urban has been out in the media with it."

"The application is still pending. There's no timeline on it. If he gets it to us quick we'll look at it. There needs to be a resolution in front of the board."

Apparently, Urban needed little time in supplying the governors with what they needed.

Urban, who reportedly is paying about $2 million Canadian for the mothballed Rebel, would be the majority owner in the Speed, with Craig Anstead holding a 10-15 percent stake. Anstead, general manager of the Edmonton-area Western RV Country stores, would serve as the team's managing partner.

Edmonton's admission to the NLL will end a remarkable run of poor fortune by various groups which have attempted to bring professional lacrosse to the City of Champions.

Edmonton had been fast-tracked to join the NLL in 2002 -- along with Calgary, among others -- but was denied over fears that the league was expanding too fast. Since then, several bids which appeared poised for approval were rejected or fell apart at the last moment.