The
San Diego Chargers are a professional
American football team based in
San Diego, California. The Chargers compete in the
National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's
American Football Conference (AFC)
West division. The club began play in
1960 as a charter member of the
American Football League (AFL), and spent its first season in
Los Angeles, California, before moving to San Diego in 1961. The Chargers joined the NFL as result of the
AFL–NFL merger in
1970, and play their home games at
Qualcomm Stadium. The Chargers had been the only NFL team based in
Southern California since the
Raiders and
Rams moved out of Los Angeles in 1994. On January 12, 2016, the Rams were approved by the NFL to relocate back to Los Angeles for the
2016 NFL season, and the Chargers were given a one-year option to join the Rams in the Los Angeles area. However, team chairman and CEO
Dean Spanos announced on January 29, 2016, that the Chargers would remain in San Diego for the 2016 season.