The Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday night received approval for a one-year deal to hold a portion of their training camp at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, Calif.
The Costa Mesa City Council voted 7-0 to approve the deal that calls for the Raiders to pay $165,000 in rent and hold a youth training camp at the facility, along with other donations the team will make to the city.
This marks the first time since the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas in 2020 that they will hold an off-site training camp. They’ve spent the past four years working out at their Henderson, Nev., headquarters, often dealing with the scorching Las Vegas area heat. During their time in Oakland, the Raiders held camp in Napa, Calif., from 1996 to 2019. They camped in Oxnard, Calif., for most of their tenure in Los Angeles (1985-95) and trained in Santa Rosa, Calif., for the bulk of their first Oakland stint.
Unlike in Henderson, Raiders fans will be able to attend practices in some capacity at Costa Mesa.
The Raiders did not respond to a request for comment.
The Costa Mesa site has most recently been used as the training camp home of the Los Angeles Chargers, who this year will move into their new practice facility in El Segundo. The Chargers are still under contract with the city of Costa Mesa through August 2026 — though they declined their option this year and plan to hold camp at their new facility — so the agreement does not guarantee the Raiders can use the facility in future years. The Raiders will have to submit a letter of interest by Jan. 1, 2025, if they want to return for that year’s training camp.
First-year Raiders general manager Tom Telesco served as the Chargers GM for the last 11 years, so he knows the new venue well. The team, of course, has a strong fan base in the Southern California region from its 13-year run in Los Angeles from 1982 to ’94. The Raiders won two Super Bowls during those L.A. years and still regularly dominate the crowd when they play on the road against the Chargers and Los Angeles Rams.
The addition of the Raiders means that five NFL teams will hold training camp within 100 miles of each other in Southern California. That includes the Rams, who will camp at their new practice facility in Woodland Hills, and the Chargers. The Dallas Cowboys continue to hold their camp in Oxnard, while the New Orleans Saints this year will be on the campus of UC Irvine, which was previously used by the Rams, due to construction on the club’s permanent facility in Metairie, La.
The Raiders’ deal with Costa Mesa also includes $600,000 for improvements to the fields at the complex, a donation of 100 tickets to an NFL preseason game in Southern California, a $10,000 donation to a local youth sports team, outdoor weight training equipment to Costa Mesa High School and a Ford transit van for recreation programs in underserved areas.
“I’m pleased to welcome the Las Vegas Raiders and their loyal fans, ‘Raider Nation,’ to the great city of Costa Mesa for training camp this summer,” Costa Mesa mayor John Stephens said in a news release announcing the proposed agreement.
NFL training camps begin in late July. The agreement calls for use of the facility from approximately July 19 through Aug. 11.
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