OMAHA, Neb. — The city of Omaha and the NCAA have agreed in principle to a new contract that keeps the College World Series in Omaha past 2010.

There is no immediate word on the length of the contract. The city has been seeking an agreement of at least 20 years.

Joe Gudenrath, a spokesman for Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, calls the agreement a memorandum of understanding. The NCAA had set a Wednesday deadline for such an agreement.

Gudenrath says the memorandum paves the way for a final agreement to be reached by the June 14 start of the College World Series.

The CWS has been played in Omaha since 1950 at Rosenblatt Stadium. The city is moving ahead with plans for a new downtown ballpark that is seen as key to the new contract.