I read in the local paper today that the Dallas Cowboys are moving their training camp back to Oxnard California for this coming year's camp.
The last year they were here I got some great autographs!
It's official: The 'Boys will be back in town
Oxnard to host NFL training camp this summer
By Michelle L. Klampe (Contact)
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Tony Romo and the rest of the boys in blue are headed to Oxnard.
The Dallas Cowboys will hold a training camp on the fields adjacent to the Residence Inn by Marriott at River Ridge this summer, the team announced Friday, marking a return to Oxnard after a year's absence.
Exact dates for the camp won't be announced until the National Football League releases its preseason schedule, sometime in the next few weeks, said Rich Dalrymple, director of public relations for the Cowboys. The camp is expected to begin during the week of July 21-25, he said.
The Cowboys held a training camp in Oxnard from 2004 until 2006, when the team entered a long-term deal to hold the camp at the Alamodome in San Antonio until at least 2011.
But the Alamodome had a prior scheduling commitment that conflicted with this summer's camp, so the team needed an alternative site. Oxnard was the team's first choice, Dalrymple said.
"It was a natural place for us to look first, because of the treatment we've received there. It just made sense for us," Dalrymple said. "Logistically, it's an outstanding location for us."
There was some question as to whether there would be room for the team in Oxnard this year after the city sold a piece of land that had been used for the training camp. But officials with Beverly Hills-based Casden Properties LLC, the development group that purchased the land adjacent to the River Ridge Golf Club, said late last year that the team could use the land at no charge if a deal could be struck with the city.
The team contacted city officials a few months ago to inquire about the fields, found out they would be available and said they'd be in touch, said Michael Henderson, the city parks superintendent. The city didn't hear anything again until a few weeks ago, and the final decision was made Friday.
"We like working with them," Henderson said. "It's great when they're here."
The Cowboys have a long history in Ventura County. In addition to the camps in Oxnard, the team trained at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks from 1963 to 1989.
The Oxnard camps have been a boon to the local economy. Besides the players and media who descend on the region, fans come from all over the nation to watch the team's two-a-day practices, get autographs or stock up on jerseys with their favorite players' names on the back. They also visit the beach, try local restaurants and stay in local hotels.
"It amazes me that their fans plan their summer vacations around this training camp," said Nancy Lindholm, president and chief executive officer of the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce. "The Cowboys bring with them an unbelievable amount of tourism dollars to Oxnard."
A study commissioned by the Oxnard Convention and Visitors Bureau/California Welcome Center found the 2004 training camp brought an estimated 70,000 people to the city and $4.5 million to $5.5 million in gross revenue to the local economy, said Janet Sederquist, the bureau's president and CEO.
This year, the Cowboys' training camp is expected to coincide with the 15th annual Oxnard Salsa Festival, the start of the Ventura County Fair and the return of tall sailing ships to Channel Islands Harbor. The bureau is already getting calls about the Cowboys camp from prospective visitors, Sederquist said.
"We've got a busy, busy three weeks around here," she said. "Our hotels do quite well during that time."
The last year they were here I got some great autographs!
It's official: The 'Boys will be back in town
Oxnard to host NFL training camp this summer
By Michelle L. Klampe (Contact)
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Tony Romo and the rest of the boys in blue are headed to Oxnard.
The Dallas Cowboys will hold a training camp on the fields adjacent to the Residence Inn by Marriott at River Ridge this summer, the team announced Friday, marking a return to Oxnard after a year's absence.
Exact dates for the camp won't be announced until the National Football League releases its preseason schedule, sometime in the next few weeks, said Rich Dalrymple, director of public relations for the Cowboys. The camp is expected to begin during the week of July 21-25, he said.
The Cowboys held a training camp in Oxnard from 2004 until 2006, when the team entered a long-term deal to hold the camp at the Alamodome in San Antonio until at least 2011.
But the Alamodome had a prior scheduling commitment that conflicted with this summer's camp, so the team needed an alternative site. Oxnard was the team's first choice, Dalrymple said.
"It was a natural place for us to look first, because of the treatment we've received there. It just made sense for us," Dalrymple said. "Logistically, it's an outstanding location for us."
There was some question as to whether there would be room for the team in Oxnard this year after the city sold a piece of land that had been used for the training camp. But officials with Beverly Hills-based Casden Properties LLC, the development group that purchased the land adjacent to the River Ridge Golf Club, said late last year that the team could use the land at no charge if a deal could be struck with the city.
The team contacted city officials a few months ago to inquire about the fields, found out they would be available and said they'd be in touch, said Michael Henderson, the city parks superintendent. The city didn't hear anything again until a few weeks ago, and the final decision was made Friday.
"We like working with them," Henderson said. "It's great when they're here."
The Cowboys have a long history in Ventura County. In addition to the camps in Oxnard, the team trained at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks from 1963 to 1989.
The Oxnard camps have been a boon to the local economy. Besides the players and media who descend on the region, fans come from all over the nation to watch the team's two-a-day practices, get autographs or stock up on jerseys with their favorite players' names on the back. They also visit the beach, try local restaurants and stay in local hotels.
"It amazes me that their fans plan their summer vacations around this training camp," said Nancy Lindholm, president and chief executive officer of the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce. "The Cowboys bring with them an unbelievable amount of tourism dollars to Oxnard."
A study commissioned by the Oxnard Convention and Visitors Bureau/California Welcome Center found the 2004 training camp brought an estimated 70,000 people to the city and $4.5 million to $5.5 million in gross revenue to the local economy, said Janet Sederquist, the bureau's president and CEO.
This year, the Cowboys' training camp is expected to coincide with the 15th annual Oxnard Salsa Festival, the start of the Ventura County Fair and the return of tall sailing ships to Channel Islands Harbor. The bureau is already getting calls about the Cowboys camp from prospective visitors, Sederquist said.
"We've got a busy, busy three weeks around here," she said. "Our hotels do quite well during that time."
