The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the few NFL franchises that has a really rabid fanbase in many different areas. In particular for the Raiders, they have major footholds throughout California thanks to stints in both Oakland and Los Angeles.
It’s not uncommon for teams to hold parts or their entire camps in different areas to help grow their fanbase, and the Raiders look to be returning to California this offseason.
The franchise had been having discussions with the city of Costa Mesa, California about holding training camp at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex and the city voted to approve the motion to bring Raiders training camp to the city via Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
By a vote of 7-0 the City of Costa Mesa approved a motion to allow the @Raiders to use Jack Hammett Sports complex for their 2024 training camp.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) May 8, 2024
Costa Mesa City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison expressed her excitement at the Raiders potentially holding camp there prior to the vote being finalized via Sara Cardine of the LA Times:
“Costa Mesa is proud to be one of only two cities in the country to host an NFL team’s summer training camp in a publicly owned facility,” City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison said in a release Friday. “Jack Hammett is a treasure and we are excited to potentially have a new NFL team training here.”
Under the agreement, the Raiders will pay the city $165,000 in rent and agree to make improvements to the facility’s fields worth around $600,000. The Raiders are also agreeing to start a junior training camp for kids aged 6 to 12, provide 100 tickets for local students to attend an NFL game in Southern California, and donate $10,000 to a local youth sports team.
The franchise would have to bring a pair of fields up to NFL standards but has also committed to hosting public practices for fans. Additionally, outdoor weight training equipment would be donated to Costa Mesa High School, and a new mobile recreation van would be made available for use by programs in underserved areas throughout the city.
Davante Adams: Raiders more competitive organization than Packers
The Raiders are looking to make a leap this season and training camp will be the start of a new era for the franchise. But one thing that won’t change is the competitiveness, something that stood out to star wide receiver Davante Adams the moment he joined the Raiders.
Adams recently spoke on this, saying that the Raiders franchise is far more competitive than his previous team, the Green Bay Packers, with far more players having that killer mentality that he loves.
