ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders will not be holding training camp in their usual location this summer, the team announced Thursday. Instead, the team will keep it local, hosting camp starting July 26 at their practice facility in Ashburn.
The city of Richmond has hosted the Commanders for training camp since 2014 at the Bon Secours facility, built in 2013.
“The problem with the short [travel] period is it’s not, from what I’m learning, it’s not financially equitable,” Rivera said at the NFL owners meeting in March.
The Commanders usually will practice in Richmond for the first two weeks of training camp before heading back up to their normal practice facility in northern Virginia. The 8-year contract to hold training camp in Richmond expired after the 2020 season. However, training camp didn’t take place in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Burgundy and Gold held a shortened 1-week training camp in 2021, as the team navigated the NFL’S COVID-19 protocols. Each day, training camp was open to the public and allowed more than 1000+ fans each session.
The NFL announced last season that teams are allowed to go away for training camp again, pending league approval. The Commanders, however, are choosing to stay in Ashburn.
A free practice event will be held for fans at FedEx Field on Saturday, Aug. 6. Several other practices will be held between July 27 and Aug. 18 that fans can sign up for the chance to attend through a fan lottery system. For more details on fan-related events throughout the camp, click here.