Oxnard reaches tentative deal to host Rams’ OTAs, mini camp in April

[RamBill]

Oxnard reaches tentative deal to host Rams’ OTAs, mini camp in April
By Bob Buttitta

http://www.vcstar.com/sports/oxnard...67e73-b970-498f-e053-0100007f6-369362941.html

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.

 

[JUMAVA68]

Lived in Oxnard for 6 years it's a nice area that's getting better.My girlfriend is from there so I'll make sure we visit her family during OTAs.

 

[RedRam]

I'll have to take a day off and go check it out. Maybe a couple days... Providing they don't cancel like after the brawl with the Cowboys. I was all set to attend that day but found out before hitting the road fortunately.

 

[RamBill]

Unless something changes, OTA's and mini-camps aren't open to the public.

 

[OC--LeftCoast]

Too far for me

 

[RamBill]

Rams still working to finalize Los Angeles plans
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...s-still-working-to-finalize-los-angeles-plans

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The Los Angeles Rams have a little more than a month before they pack up and head west to their new (old) home.

While they haven't finalized everything yet, they are much closer to knowing where, exactly, they will be moving to within the Los Angeles area. As it turns out, the Rams probably will have multiple temporary homes this year before building a permanent training facility to complement the opening of the new Inglewood stadium in 2019.

As we've reported since right after the decision on relocation was rendered, the first temporary home is all but certain to be Oxnard, California. The Rams practiced with the Dallas Cowboys in Oxnard, which is about 65 miles north of Los Angeles, last summer and are already familiar with the facilities. The tentative plan is for the Rams to hold all of their offseason program there. That includes the start of the offseason conditioning program (set to begin April 18), the draft, any minicamps and organized team activities. The Rams would then vacate the space for the Cowboys when they come for training camp.

After the offseason program is over, the Rams would then be in the market for a home for their own training camp. It's possible they could spend a few days with the Cowboys again in Oxnard but they want to have a place for fans to come and watch practice, which means landing on a bigger college campus. Chances are good that the UC Irvine in Orange County ultimately will be the destination. The Rams have also discussed Cal-Lutheran in Thousand Oaks as an option but as it stands, UC Irvine is probably the best bet.

When training camp is over, the Rams will then need to find another temporary solution for training during the season. This is the least certain of the venues, but the Rams continue to focus this search on areas north of Los Angeles but south of Oxnard. Cal-Lutheran and Pierce College in Woodland Hills are among the sites that are being considered.

So where does that leave the hunt for a permanent facility? As it stands, the Rams are not believed to have the land secured or an exact spot picked out. But one thing to remember is that they have a lot of players, coaches and employees who will be working in the area. It stands to reason that wherever they set up their temporary training facilities will be at least somewhat close to where they try to build their new facility. That way they wouldn't have to worry about players, coaches and employees finding themselves in more difficult traffic situations or having to move multiple times after arriving in California. It's possible, if not likely, that a permanent day-to-day home won't be finished until 2018.

The Rams have to be out of St. Louis and Rams Park by the end of March. So they'll likely have final decisions for 2016 made soon enough.

 

[RamBill]

Oxnard approves temp site deal with Rams
Posted on February 24, 2016 by Vincent Bonsignore

http://www.insidesocal.com/nfl/2016/02/24/oxnard-approves-temp-site-deal-with-rams/

The Los Angeles Rams will hold a one-day team meeting March 4 in Manhattan Beach to update players on the relocation process to Los Angeles, with a heavy emphasis focused on where the Rams will set up a temporary site for minicamps and OTA’s through midsummer and identifying a training camp site.

At least one of those sites is close to being official.

The Oxnard City Council on Tuesday night approved a deal with the Rams to set up temporary headquarters at the same site the Dallas Cowboys hold training camp. If everything goes as planned, the Rams will set up shop in Oxnard in early April and stay through the middle of June. Soon after, the Cowboys will return for training camp.

“It’s a turn key facility with what the Cowboys have done up there,” Rams president and CEO Kevin Demoff said. “From there — the Cowboys will be coming back in July — we need to find a new training camp home and we’ve talked to a number of different universities about that opportunity.”

Although nothing is official on training camp, the Rams are leaning strongly toward UC Irvine.

Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks remains a possibility, though.

In addition, the Rams are scouring the Southern California for a temporary headquarters and practice facility site they can use throughout the 2016 season.

“We’re looking for what I call permanent/temporary space all around Los Angeles, with a focus on the (San Fernando) Valley area, and trying to get a handle on what that might look like and where that might be. And from there, where can your get office space.” Demoff said. “And of course, finding the permanent practice facility is an ongoing process, which will probably take most of 2016 is my guess.

“But hopefully by March 1st, we’ll have nailed down most of this.”

The Rams’ long-range plans for a team headquarter site is in the West San Fernando Valley region around Thousand Oaks and Agoura Hills.

The agreement with Oxnard calls for the Rams to lease the fields for $510 per day from April 18 to June 17, a total cost of $31,110. The team will also lease the locker rooms at a cost of $680 per day from March 28 through June 24, a total cost of $59,840.

 

[RamBill]

The Los Angeles Rams are close to finalizing a deal to begin their off-season practices in Oxnard, pending a final approval Tuesday night by the Oxnard City Council. Serene Branson reports.

Watch Rams in Oxnard Story

 

[DaveFan'51]

Unless something changes, OTA's and mini-camps aren't open to the public.

I could swear I heard Demiroff say something about "Fan's coming out for OTA's"!?! What was he referring to !!?

 

[IowaRam]