[TSFH Fan]

Oxnard reaches tentative deal to host Rams’ OTAs, mini camp in April
http://www.vcstar.com/sports/oxnard-rea ... 62941.html

Credit: Karen Quincy Loberg
KAREN QUINCY LOBERG/THE STAR After seeing the Rams scrimmage the Cowboys in Oxnard last summer, Carl Downs and other Rams fans will have their team come to the city again for their OTAs and mini camp starting in April.
By Bob Buttitta of the Ventura County Star

Oxnard no longer belongs exclusively to the Dallas Cowboys.

The city of Oxnard and the Los Angeles Rams came to a tentative agreement Thursday for the recently transplanted Rams to hold their organized team activities and mini camp practices on the same practice fields used by the Cowboys for their training camp.

Terms of the deal, which must be approved by the Oxnard City Council on Tuesday to become official, have the Rams renting the River Ridge fields and the adjoining locker room starting on April 18 and staying through June 17.

According to Oxnard Assistant City Manager Scott Whitney, the deal will generate a net income of $86,000 for the city. Whitney said those funds are unrestricted and can be used in any capacity.

The Cowboys have not officially told Oxnard the date they will arrive in Oxnard for their 2016 training camp. Based on their previous history, the team will probably open camp in late July.

River Ridge Golf Course superintendent Kyle Kanny and his grounds crew take care of the fields and get them prepped for the Cowboys camp each year. Whitney said the Rams would like the fields in the same type of condition.

In addition to negotiating with the city for the use of the fields and locker room, the Rams are working on a deal with the Marriott Residence Inn, which is located next to the fields and would provide housing and meeting space for Rams personnel.

A National Football League team's offseason organized team activities, called OTAs, are separate from training camp. They are practice sessions that concentrate on technique, basic personnel packages and repetition.

Under normal circumstances, players commute from their homes to the team facility for these practices. Because the Rams are moving from St. Louis and most players don't have homes here yet, the Marriott would provide housing and meeting space.

It would likely be very similar to the structure used by the Cowboys when they hold training camp in Oxnard. The Cowboys use the River Ridge fields, the locker room and hotel facilities. The Cowboys bring several large trailers to the site to hold equipment and put up tents for weight room facilities and the media.

[Elvis]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-sn- ... story.html

Oxnard officials to vote on hosting Rams practices

Nathan Fenno

The Oxnard City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on an agreement with the Rams to hold spring practices in the city.

The River Ridge fields, site of training camp for the Dallas Cowboys, would host the Rams from April 18 through June 17, according to the proposed contract between the team and city.

The Rams would also use locker room facilities on site from March 28 to June 24.

The city would receive $510 per day from the Rams for use of the grass practice fields and $680 per day for the locker rooms.

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Under the deal, the Rams would maintain the fields, provide bleachers and security. The cost of fencing in and around the fields would be split between the team and city.

If a spring practice session is open to the public, the city would operate parking and keep all of the proceeds. The Rams would retain all revenues from operating the facility, including sales of tickets, programs and other merchandise.

Last August, the Rams joined the Cowboys at the Oxnard site for two days of practice during training camp.

[Hacksaw]

A cool $100+K for 2 fields and locker rooms and the team needs to maintain the locker rooms (typical). Oxnard owns the locker rooms?
Hoping to attend a spring session or 2.. if they are open?

[Elvis]

[Elvis]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-sn- ... story.html

Los Angeles Rams close to finalizing deal to hold spring practices in Oxnard

by Nathan Fenno and Sam Farmer

After weeks of weighing their options, the Rams are beginning to finalize plans for their first year back in Los Angeles.

The Oxnard City Council will vote Tuesday on an agreement with the team to hold spring practices in the city – on the same site where the Dallas Cowboys stage their training camp.

The River Ridge fields would host the Rams from April 18 through June 17, according to the proposed contract between the team and city.

“We have zeroed in on Oxnard for our initial off-season football operations as it is the most turn-key site available given the field access and the adjacent hotel space,” Kevin Demoff, Rams executive vice president of football operations, told The Times. “The goal is to allow our coaches, players and football staff to be able to concentrate on football without having to worry about an environment that has never hosted an NFL team.”

Because the Cowboys are coming back to Oxnard this summer, the Rams need to go elsewhere for training camp. Demoff said the club has talked with a number of universities in Southern California “to find a training camp site that meets the needs of both our team and our fans.” He hopes to decide on a site by the end of March. He said the franchise has had discussions with UC Irvine, which previously hosted the Rams.

At the end of training camp, the Rams plan to move into what they will call their “permanent temporary facility,” which will serve as their base for football operations for the next few years while their permanent football facility is being built. That is not expected to be located in Inglewood, where a new stadium is on track to be constructed by 2019.

“The searches for both the temporary facility and permanent facility are underway,” Demoff wrote in an email. “The most important consideration for our organization from a relocation standpoint right now is finding a training site that can become a home community for our players, coaches and staff for years to come.”

At the moment, the Oxnard agreement is closest to completion. According to the contract with the city, the Rams would use the locker room facilities from March 28-June 24. Oxnard would receive $510 a day from the Rams for use of the grass practice fields, $680 a day for use of the locker rooms.

The agreement calls for the Rams to maintain the fields and provide bleachers and security. The cost of fencing in and around the fields would be split by the team and city.

“We’re looking forward to it,” said Scott Whitney, Oxnard’s assistant city manager and point person on the deal. “It just really worked out for [the Rams].”

Whitney said that language about one or more practices being open to the public was put in the contract in case the Rams elected to do so. He isn’t aware of anything that’s planned at this point.

“The Rams really don’t have anything scheduled yet,” he said. “If they’re able to do something, we’re ready.”

The Rams participated in two days of practices with the Cowboys in Oxnard last August. Whitney does not anticipate a long-term relationship between the Rams and Oxnard.

“They’ve indicated this is going to be a one-year agreement,” he said, “but I don’t know if they’ve found a permanent home for spring practices, so you never know.”

[Hacksaw]

A cool $100+K for 2 fields and locker rooms and the team needs to maintain the locker rooms (typical).

"The agreement calls for the Rams to maintain the fields and provide bleachers and security. The cost of fencing in and around the fields would be split by the team and city'

The gross from the rents at the costs for the time frame listed would be $104,720 doing napkin math. I need to get into the fence supply business.

[bubbaramfan]

For what its worth-- I keep hearing folks at City Hall here in Carson saying the Rams have been intently inquiring about Stub Hub Center for their training camp. Stub Hub was used by the Chargers for several years for their training camp. It already has eveyrthing an NFL team needs for TC. They are considering Irvine also, but Carson is much closer to Oxnard and Inglewood, (and my house) I guess we have to wait til the end of March.

[KarlBaker]

..

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The USTA Training Center - West is located at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. The StubHub Center is a 125-acre development featuring state-of-the-art stadiums and facilities for soccer, tennis, track & field, cycling, lacrosse, rugby, volleyball, baseball, softball, basketball and other sports.

Designated as an "Official U.S. Olympic Training Site," The StubHub Center is the nation's most complete training facility for Olympic, amateur and professional athletes. The USTA Training Center - West features 15 hard courts and 4 Har-Tru clay courts. Additionally, there are an additional 12 tennis courts on the campus of California State University-Dominguez Hills, just walking distance from the USTA Training Center - West Courts.
..
bubbaramfan probably knows the "ins and outs" of the Stadium.
He can be our special reporter !!

..

[bubbaramfan]

Thx for the Stub Hub pics Karl.

[Elvis]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... n-tuesday/

Oxnard to vote on Rams-friendly offseason workout deal on Tuesday

Posted by Mike Florio on February 22, 2016, 3:37 PM EST

Yes, the Rams and the City of Oxnard have struck a deal to host the new/old L.A. franchise for the 2016 offseason. No, it’s not official until the Oxnard City Council votes on the arrangement Tuesday.

Regardless of the outcome of the vote, one thing is clear: The Rams are getting a great deal.

Via Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times, the Rams will pay $510 per day to use grass practice fields from April 17 through June 17. The Rams also will pay $680 per day for locker-room facilities from March 24 through June 24. Touted last week as “net income” for the City of Oxnard in the amount of $86,000, the numbers reported by the Times suggest that it’s the gross income — and that it’s one hell of a deal for the Rams.

With an offseason roster limit of 90, the Rams will paying less than $1,000 per player for the entire offseason program.

While Oxnard can tout the arrangement as being good for local business (the Rams apparently will be keeping players and coaches at a local hotel, and fans who show up for public sessions will possibly buy food or other stuff in Oxnard, where hopefully the local delicacy isn’t ox nards . . . yes, I’m 12), it seems like Oxnard has the bargaining power to get a much better deal. With an ideal NFL facility already in place for use by the Cowboys during a portion of training camp, the Rams arguably need Oxnard more than Oxnard needs the Rams. And so Oxnard, instead of being dumbstruck by the possibility of having the Rams hang out in town for a few months, should maybe view this as the opportunity as it is to charge something more than roughly $1,000 per player for the offseason program.

The fact that Oxnard is roughly 60 miles from L.A. shows that the Rams don’t have many viable options for conducting a full-blown offseason program. Why shouldn’t Oxnard be willing to get more from a team owned by a guy who has more than enough to pay the bill?