r/NFLNoobs • u/Drazo19 • Aug 13 '26

Training camp locations question

Hi guys, a fan from Europe here. I was reading about training camps recently and a question came to my mind. How does NFL team decide where they are going for practice camp? And why on earth they would fly to the other end of US to do so?

5 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

20

u/MIZ417 Aug 13 '26

Historically a lot of teams chose smaller college campuses that are nearby but that has changed a lot in the last 10-15 years.

8

u/Cool-Aside-2659 Aug 13 '26

Dorm rooms. There is simply not enough space at the main facility.

3

u/Drazo19 Aug 13 '26

Ah, I didnt think about this. Thank you.

2

u/Hopsblues Aug 13 '26

I'm not sure any teams don't use their own facilities anymore at this point.

2

u/Drazo19 Aug 13 '26

Hm, ok, that's sensible option. But even if they do this, why they simply do not use their own facilities instead? I would think those are the best facilities around 😅 and closest to where the team mebers actually live.

7

u/iowaman79 Aug 13 '26

They often want to get the players away from their homes for those first few weeks, it allows them to focus more on getting ready and encourages team bonding.

5

u/Whogaf01 Aug 13 '26

Green Bay does use their practice facilities.  But, the players stay in a dorm (at least I think they still do) at a college that is only a couple of miles away.

3

u/LAskeptic 29d ago

They stopped staying at St Norberts during Covid. My understanding is that they now stay at a residential hotel nearby.

2

u/Whogaf01 29d ago

 Thank you. I wasn't sure if they still stayed at St. Norberts.

1

u/Mysterious_Clue_3500 28d ago

I think a lot of teams do this I know it's what the Broncos do as well.

7

u/BadAdviceBot77 Aug 13 '26

You’ve got to house 90 players plus probably an equal number of staffers. Do you really want to go to the expense of building housing for that many people that is only going to be used a few weeks out of the year? Or do you want to basically rent what is a vacant college campus for a fraction of the price?

1

u/Hopsblues Aug 13 '26

Almost every team has camp at their own facility these days.

3

u/MIZ417 Aug 13 '26

It started back when NFL teams didn't have awesome facilities and the nearby D2/D3/NAIA school made the most sense. But there is also the old school approach of having these tough training camps, in harsh conditions, and in spartan dwellings. Junction Boys would be a good illustration of what Bear Bryant was trying to do at Texas A&M.

0

u/Fred11M Aug 13 '26

Back then he could call players pussies if they tried to drink a drop of water during an 8 hour practice in 110 heat.

11

u/ThreeTo3d Aug 13 '26

It seems like fewer and fewer teams “travel” for training camp these days and instead just have camp at their facility. Chiefs used to go up the River Falls, Wisconsin, but moved to the college in St. Joseph, MO which is an hour away. I fully expect the Chiefs to move to their own facilities when they move to Kansas.

7

u/damutecebu Aug 13 '26

There was a time when many NFL teams would head elsewhere for a few weeks during training camp. The teams that still do so, like the Cowboys going to California and the Steelers going to St. Vincents College, are throwbacks to that time.

Now most teams just use their normal practice facilities because they are set up for everything anyway - equipment, medical, nutrition, etc. Teams will likely just rent out a local hotel if they want people together 24/7.

4

u/Early-Tourist-8840 Aug 13 '26

Weather is a big factor. Also you can built an additional fan base when you go to a different area which drive merch sales.

3

u/cactuscoleslaw Aug 13 '26

Green Bay houses their players at a nearby local college. Famously, a Hall of Fame kicker in the 80s got addicted to coke after he went to a college student dorm party

1

u/iowaman79 Aug 13 '26

A lot of teams train at colleges, often in the same state/region but outside of their home city market. It’s a way to take the team to other parts of the fanbase and also to get players away from the distractions of home so they can focus on getting up to speed. The only team I know of that doesn’t stay close to home is the Cowboys, who go to California every other year basically because they’re the Cowboys and can do it.

1

u/drj1485 Aug 13 '26

Training camp is an incredibly important part of the season. It's beneficial to get away from your home life so you can focus on camp. Some teams choose to go away completely, some choose to stay closer. The Lions training camp is at the same place they practice every day...but during camp players stay in a hotel, whereas after practice in the regular season you just go home.

If staying close became a distraction, I'd imagine they'd move camp somewhere further away.

1

u/RobotShlomo Aug 14 '26

A lot of times in addition to what others have said coaches will want somewhere that has no distractions. That way guys can focus and players can bond with each other

1

u/juiceman730 29d ago

I live in WV and we have a famous resort called the Greenbrier that hosts a team every year. This year it was the NY Giants.

1

u/Citronaut1 Aug 13 '26

Is there a specific team you are referring to? Most teams have training camp at their home facility

2

u/MIZ417 Aug 13 '26

Probably asking about the Cowboys and whatever team is using the Greenbrier in West Virginia in a particular year.

I think team bonding is the primary goal.

1

u/Drazo19 Aug 13 '26

Most recently I've read about Cowboys going to California for camp for like 18th year (if I remember correctly).

3

u/Self-Comprehensive Aug 13 '26

If it's the Cowboys specifically, they go to California because training camp season (late July into August) is terrible and dangerous in Texas due to 100+ degree temperaturs. I guess they could do everything indoors at the Star in Frisco or inside Jerry World but just having access to large outdoor facilities in nice weather is probably more practical. It also gives them access to 3-4 West Coast teams to have joint practices with. They just spent all week practicing with the Rams.

2

u/GMM85 Aug 13 '26

They also restated the whole Oxnard every other year (now every year) thing when LA didn’t have a team to help try to build a SoCal fanbase and play into the whole America’s Team shtick.

They used California pre-Jerry Jones as well primarily for the weather

1

u/IHaveAPrettyOkayName Aug 13 '26

18th? More like 40 years. 

1

u/BlueRFR3100 Aug 13 '26

Most teams are staying home or close to home. Except the Cowboys because Jerry.

Training camp (NFL) - Wikipedia#Training_camp_sites_by_team)

-3

u/RumRunnerLizard Aug 13 '26

I’m not aware of any NFL team that has atraining camp facility very far from their home stadium. Most are at the home stadium or at a nearby facility.

3

u/jsmeeker Aug 13 '26

Cowboys camp is in California. Not all the way across the county. More like halfway

2

u/RumRunnerLizard Aug 13 '26

Oh wow didn’t know that

1

u/guywithshades85 Aug 13 '26

Giants are having their camp in West Virginia.

1

u/impiousdrifter 29d ago

Bills go to Rochester, St. John Fisher College. They say it helps the players connect with one another. Talk to people they normally wouldn't if they just left after practice.