NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints introduced they’re shifting their 2024 coaching camp to the College of California, Irvine as a result of building of their new cafeteria.
The Saints started renovating their cafeteria and weight room in 2023. The Saints obtained an F-minus on the NFL Gamers Affiliation report card in 2023 for his or her meals companies/diet, which was tied for thirtieth and ranked in final place within the NFL. In addition they obtained an F in 2024 on their meals/cafeteria grade, rating thirtieth for that 12 months.
“At the moment, [owner Gayle Benson] and our group have invested within the building of a brand new cafeteria, that when accomplished, will probably be among the many most interesting within the Nationwide Soccer League. The scope of this challenge makes it troublesome to host coaching camp on-site in 2024, given the intensive wants for our crew to arrange for the common season,” Saints basic supervisor Mickey Loomis stated in a information launch Friday.
The Saints obtained an A-minus grade for his or her weight room in 2023 and a B in 2024.
The cafeteria upgrades had “zero” to do with the report card, Saints president Dennis Lauscha stated on the league’s annual assembly in March.
“It is nothing in opposition to their survey, however we had it on the books for some time to enhance the cafeteria, enhance the cooking space,” Lauscha stated. “That cooking space and that cafeteria, though we nonetheless assume it is new for a few of the of us which have been there, it is over 20 years outdated. It needed to be modified, it needed to be upgraded. … We need to have one of the best services. We wish to have the ability to recruit and appeal to gamers, and with a purpose to that, it’s important to have good services.”
The Saints haven’t held their complete coaching camp at one other location since a stint on the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, from 2014 to 2016.
They returned to their observe facility in Metairie in 2017 and plan to carry coaching camp at house in 2025 when the renovations are full.
“We do not have a cafeteria proper now, we do not have cooking proper now. We’re upgrading all of these issues, upgrading our weight lifting services,” Lauscha stated. “We won’t get all of it executed by the beginning of coaching camp. I totally anticipate to be again in Metairie the next 12 months when all of the renovations are executed.
The Saints have held parts of their coaching camp in California a number of occasions. They spent per week in Oxnard, California, in 2011 and held joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers in Costa Mesa from 2017 to 2019 and in 2022 and 2023.
The Los Angeles Rams most lately used the location in Irvine for his or her coaching camp from 2021 to ’23.
