Vikings fans group springs up to push stadium

A new Vikings fan group has sprung up to push Minnesota lawmakers to consider stadium legislation.

A half-dozen of them, dressed in Vikings garb, stood watch Friday on the Capitol steps in the first of planned monthly gatherings there. Lawmakers don't return for session until February.

SavetheVikes.org organizer Cory Merrifield, a season ticketholder, says the group is operating independent of the football franchise. He says he's trying to build fan support for the stadium cause in the same way the Minnesota Twins did en route to a new ballpark.

For the last decade, the Vikings have been pursuing public financing for a new stadium, which could cost more than $900 million.

The Vikings lease in the Metrodome runs through the 2011 season.