The Saints will hold practices on U.C Irvine’s campus in Southern California this year.
When the news came out that the New Orleans Saints will be moving their training camp to California, it was met with some disappointment and confusion. The biggest reason behind pushback over this decision was that it looks like Saints fans will not be able to attend practices at camp this year. Usually, there is sold-out attendance during training camp, but that changes with this move. This decision added confusion and raised the question, why did the Saints do it?
The decision of moving training camp is a big one, but there are important reasons behind it. As you know, the Saints are renovating their cafeteria and weight room. These renovations will not be done by the start of the season, but if the Saints did not move their training camp, they would have been further delayed. Also because of these renovations, the Saints would have been unable to practice to their fullest extent.
Also, the heat is only getting worse in Louisiana. This is also true in California, but it is very dry. In these conditions, the Saints players will be able to practice for longer periods of time, and with more intensity. There is an added emphasis to this when focusing on new players that are not privy to the Louisiana heat.
Although this is not a reason for the move, it is an added benefit. In recent years of training camp, the Saints traveled to California for joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers. Doing this has allowed the Saints to understand what practice feels like in California and compare it to the conditions in Louisiana. The Saints front office could have chosen other places to practice, but they focused on California. This might hint to the Saints believing that it will be more beneficial to practice there.
With these reasons taken into consideration, it makes a lot of sense why the Saints made this move. Practicing in better summer conditions will be more beneficial for the players, especially while the team are doing important renovations, and they already understand what practicing in California feels like. Obviously, the importance of fans not being able to attend training camp this year cannot be understated, but by just focusing on team aspects, the move is a very good decision.
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