Redskins coach Mike Shanahan got his wish: The Redskins will hold training camp elsewhere other than their Ashburn facility starting next summer. But Loudoun County also got its wish: The Redskins will expand their headquarters in Ashburn, ensuring that they’ll stay there for years to come.
The team and the state announced Wednesday that the Redskins will conduct training camp in Richmond starting in 2013, though they still haven’t determined where in the state capital they’ll train. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell already has approved an initial $4 million “performance-based grant to support the retention and expansion” of Redskins Park.
Shanahan had stated a desire to hold camp elsewhere since coming to Washington in 2010, wanting to create a stronger bond among the players. Washington has held camp at Ashburn for most of the past 12 years, save for a two-year stint in Carlisle, Pa. They trained in Frostburg, Md., before returning here in 2000.
The committment to stay in Ashburn is big. Bowie State in Maryland flirted with them as did officials in the District. Clearly the state did not want to lose the Redskins. In a release from the governor’s office it says the Redskins generate nearly $200 million in economic activity in Virginia and over $100 million annually in player salaries. The release says the expansion of Redskins Park will support 393 jobs during construction, while generating $52.8 million in economic activity.
Redskins Park opened in 1992 and it’s undergone a number of renovations since Dan Snyder purchased the team in 1999. They opened an indoor practice facility last month. But they’ve also wanted to expand and upgrade the facility. Speaking on the team’s flagship station, ESPN 980, Redskins executive vice president/general manager Bruce Allen said they will improve the wiring in the building, as well as upgrade the weight room and the technology in the building. They also want to improve the cafeteria (which now sits in a remodeled gymnasium).
When asked about talks the team had with D.C. and Maryland, Allen told the radio station, “I have a great love for Washington, D.C. and the mayor and I have had several conversations about plans we have for events and the future of the Redskins. At this time in order to make a more seamless transition instead of trying to pick up roots and move 60 players and 25 coaches and everything else… Northern Virginia has been a great home for over half the life of the franchise; 41 years of an 80-year franchise is a special bond. We felt the best thing to do was remodel what we have here, make this facility state of the art and keep looking at other opportunities to improve our game day experience.”
The Redskins lease at Fed Ex Field expires in 2027.
Governor McDonnell said in the release, “Virginia considers the Redskins our team. The team is based here. The team trains here. The players live here. Virginians root for the Redskins on the field, and off the field the team contributes greatly to the economy and culture of the Commonwealth. Virginia is committed to keeping the Redskins right here in our state for years to come, and today we’ve taken a significant step towards accomplishing that goal. This is a positive and exciting development for football fans from Loudoun County to Richmond to Virginia Beach. It will mean more jobs in our state, and more revenue for state and local coffers. More than anything, it means Virginia will remain ‘Redskins Country.’ In the years ahead I look forward to visiting the new expanded training facility in Loudoun County, and watching the team practice right here in our state capital of Richmond.”
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