Chargers strike tentative deal to hold training camp at Costa Mesa sports complex
If the City Council OKs the deal Tuesday, defensive end Joey Bosa and the Los Angeles Chargers will hold their summer training camp at the Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa.
The city of Costa Mesa and the Los Angeles Chargers have reached a tentative agreement to bring the team’s summer training camp to the Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex, city officials said Wednesday.
City Council members are expected to review and vote on the proposed deal during their meeting Tuesday.
Should the council sign off, the Chargers — who in December announced plans to open a headquarters and training and practice facility in Costa Mesa as part of the team’s move to Los Angeles — would be able to use two of the complex’s fields from mid- to late July until mid- to late August for up to 10 years.
City spokesman Tony Dodero confirmed those terms and other aspects of the proposed agreement during an interview Wednesday.
The exact dates of the camp would vary from year to year, but it would take place at roughly the same time as the nearby Orange County Fair. Dodero said the city plans to develop a parking and traffic management plan to deal with potential issues from that.
Under the agreement, the Chargers would pay Costa Mesa about $150,570 per year to use the fields.
That money would be earmarked for improvements at the complex or to purchase equipment.
Also as part of the deal, the Chargers would make a one-time $50,000 contribution to the city’s mobile recreation program and a $10,000 donation to AYSO Region 120.
“We are excited for the City Council to consider this long-term partnership with the Los Angeles Chargers,” City Manager Tom Hatch said in a statement Wednesday. “Significant time and consideration went into crafting the agreement that will allow this incredible opportunity to happen while ensuring impacts are limited.”
No one from the National Football League franchise, which is relocating from San Diego, could immediately be reached for comment.
Fields at the sports complex at 2750 Fairview Road are typically closed for turf renovation from about early June to late August, so the Chargers are unlikely to interfere with other users.
The Chargers plan to upgrade the fields they will use — Fields 3 and 4 — to bring them to NFL standards. In future years, the team also will be responsible for prepping the fields to make sure they’re ready for training camp.
The Chargers’ new headquarters and practice facility is in the Hive, an office complex north of the 405 Freeway at 3333 Susan St. in Costa Mesa. The team’s lease there is for a two-story, nearly 102,000-square-foot office building and an adjacent 3.2-acre parcel called “The Corner.” The lease runs for 10 years, Hatch said in January.
During a welcome reception and luncheon for the franchise last month, Chargers owner Dean Spanos said the team’s goal is to be completely moved into the new headquarters by July.
The Chargers will play their home games at the StubHub Center in Carson before joining the Los Angeles Rams in a new stadium in Inglewood that is scheduled to open in 2019.
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
