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Although all signs point to the Dallas Cowboys holding their training camp elsewhere for the foreseeable future, team owner Jerry Jones hasn’t shut the door on the team someday returning to San Antonio for its summer workouts.
The Cowboys announced Tuesday they will end their four-decade affiliation with Irving and move their practice facility and “world-wide” headquarters to another Dallas suburb, Frisco.
According to a $115 million agreement between the Cowboys and Frisco, a complex will be built on a 91-acre tract that includes an indoor stadium. The 25-year agreement also calls for the club to spend one week of training camp each year in Frisco.
But Jones made it clear after the news conference in Frisco to announce the deal the portion of camp in Frisco will be in addition to the Cowboys spending the bulk of each camp elsewhere.
“I think the opportunities we’ve got to continue our West Coast presence, and potentially with our fan base in San Antonio, a dual participation in camp is good for the team,” the Dallas Morning News’ web site quoted Jones as saying before boarding his private jet to fly to California. “It’s a plus.
“Let’s take this year as an example. Our time in Oxnard is up Friday. We leave for Arizona to play our third preseason game then turn around and come back to Dallas (Saturday night), where we will have as much as 10 days that are the equivalent to training camp. We will soon be able to do that at our facility.”
The team’s Frisco facility is expected to be ready for the 2016 season. The Cowboys’ current three-year deal with Oxnard expires after the 2014 camp, but the club has an option to extend the deal for another three years. That means the earliest the Cowboys could hold at least a portion of camp in San Antonio would be 2015.
The city official in charge of the Alamodome remains hopeful the team one day will return to San Antonio.
“The Cowboys in past years have shown how much they value their loyal fan base by holding training camp in San Antonio,” Michael Sawaya, city director of convention, sports and entertainment facilities, said in an e-mail. “We hope this will continue and remain open to dialogue for future events.”
A Cowboys spokesman also crafted a never-say-never response when asked about the club’s training camp plans.
“San Antonio is – and has always been – the home to a tremendously loyal fan base for the Dallas Cowboys,” said Rich Dalrymple, the team’s vice president for public relations/communications. “We will always be looking to explore opportunities to reach out to our fans in the city.”
The Cowboys completed a five-year contract with the Alamodome in 2011. The Cowboys prefer Southern California, however, because of its mild weather, grass fields and the close distance between the team hotel and the practice area.
“It’s fantastic place,” Garrett said of Oxnard last month. “We have had great times here. The people of Oxnard are outstanding. We have such a good feeling about how everybody treats us here. The weather is great. The facility is great. The fields are great. All of that stuff.
“As much as anything else, the reception we get from the fans here and from the people who help facilitate this training camp is outstanding.”
Along those lines, Oxnard mayor Tim Flynn has said he is eager to take “this thing to the next level” by trying to attract larger crowds and make the deal more financially lucrative for the Cowboys.
Jones acknowledged the club has had what he termed “preliminary discussions” with Flynn and that “it’s good for the team and good for us in general to have that West Coast presence.”
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The Cowboys announced Tuesday they will end their four-decade affiliation with Irving and move their practice facility and “world-wide” headquarters to another Dallas suburb, Frisco.
According to a $115 million agreement between the Cowboys and Frisco, a complex will be built on a 91-acre tract that includes an indoor stadium. The 25-year agreement also calls for the club to spend one week of training camp each year in Frisco.
But Jones made it clear after the news conference in Frisco to announce the deal the portion of camp in Frisco will be in addition to the Cowboys spending the bulk of each camp elsewhere.
“I think the opportunities we’ve got to continue our West Coast presence, and potentially with our fan base in San Antonio, a dual participation in camp is good for the team,” the Dallas Morning News’ web site quoted Jones as saying before boarding his private jet to fly to California. “It’s a plus.
“Let’s take this year as an example. Our time in Oxnard is up Friday. We leave for Arizona to play our third preseason game then turn around and come back to Dallas (Saturday night), where we will have as much as 10 days that are the equivalent to training camp. We will soon be able to do that at our facility.”
The team’s Frisco facility is expected to be ready for the 2016 season. The Cowboys’ current three-year deal with Oxnard expires after the 2014 camp, but the club has an option to extend the deal for another three years. That means the earliest the Cowboys could hold at least a portion of camp in San Antonio would be 2015.
The city official in charge of the Alamodome remains hopeful the team one day will return to San Antonio.
“The Cowboys in past years have shown how much they value their loyal fan base by holding training camp in San Antonio,” Michael Sawaya, city director of convention, sports and entertainment facilities, said in an e-mail. “We hope this will continue and remain open to dialogue for future events.”
A Cowboys spokesman also crafted a never-say-never response when asked about the club’s training camp plans.
“San Antonio is – and has always been – the home to a tremendously loyal fan base for the Dallas Cowboys,” said Rich Dalrymple, the team’s vice president for public relations/communications. “We will always be looking to explore opportunities to reach out to our fans in the city.”
The Cowboys completed a five-year contract with the Alamodome in 2011. The Cowboys prefer Southern California, however, because of its mild weather, grass fields and the close distance between the team hotel and the practice area.
“It’s fantastic place,” Garrett said of Oxnard last month. “We have had great times here. The people of Oxnard are outstanding. We have such a good feeling about how everybody treats us here. The weather is great. The facility is great. The fields are great. All of that stuff.
“As much as anything else, the reception we get from the fans here and from the people who help facilitate this training camp is outstanding.”
Along those lines, Oxnard mayor Tim Flynn has said he is eager to take “this thing to the next level” by trying to attract larger crowds and make the deal more financially lucrative for the Cowboys.
Jones acknowledged the club has had what he termed “preliminary discussions” with Flynn and that “it’s good for the team and good for us in general to have that West Coast presence.”
Continue reading...