Chargers' summer public practices move to the 'Q'

July 5, 4:51 PMSan Diego Chargers ExaminerDave Thomas

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It has been a tradition for many years. Like many other traditions, however, this one is also going by the wayside.

The San Diego Chargers announced last week that their upcoming summer training camp will for the most part be closed to the public.

According to the Chargers personnel, the team's training camps, which have drawn as many as 25,000 fans at Chargers Park over the years, will be closed to the public this month and next due to a public safety issue.

After having moved from the University of California, San Diego earlier this decade, the team's summer camp has taken place at the Murphy Canyon facility in recent years.

The Murphy Canyon site, however, was damaged earlier this year by a drainage pipe that burst, creating a 40-feet deep, 30-feet wide sinkhole. While the team says the sinkhole has been filled, it also reports that there is no guarantee the ground along it or around it is safe to be on.

"Training camp is a special time for our fans, and the decision to close camp this year was made very reluctantly," said Jim Steeg, the Chargers’ COO. "We share the city’s goal of completing these critical repairs during the dry summer months so in the end, we had no alternative but to take this step."

To allow fans to enjoy practices during the repairs, the Chargers will hold practices on Aug. 5, 8 and 12 at Qualcomm Stadium that will be free and open to the public.

"The unfortunate closing of our training camp means that the entire Chargers’ organization will work to find other ways to provide our fans with the chance to see the practices that they enjoy during training camp," continued Steeg.

According to the Chargers, the final clean up of the site at Murphy Canyon may take a few more months.

While I understand the safety issue, it is too bad the fans won't get to see a "real" summer camp this year as in the past.

Just being able to drop in at any open practice when you want, mingle with the players afterwards, etc. is a great part of the NFL experience for fans nationwide.