In the NFL Players Association report card, the Los Angeles Chargers didn’t get amazing marks. Their training facility received a D+ (T-30th in the league), the weight room was a D+ (29th) and the locker room got an F (T-27th).
The team is making some improvements, opening a new training facility and corporate headquarters this week. The facility, known as “The Bolt,” is in El Segundo, California, a few miles from the team’s home of SoFi Stadium.
As you walk in, you pass the Chargers Walk of Fame, with each member getting a tile and inlay.
The facility is on 14 acres of land and is 150,000 square feet. It includes three natural grass practice fields, a locker room, equipment room, training space, medical space, weight room, hydrotherapy room, steam room, recovery room and sauna. The three-level facility also has a barber, player lounges, a rehab pool, a fire pit, outdoor televisions and a grill.
They have a dining room and a kitchen that includes a pizza oven designed after the team helmet.
The facility has rooms for meetings, positional coaches, a walk-through area and a content creation center. There will be a private members-only club with a balcony, lounge and private dining room.
Chargers owner Dean Spanos released a statement on the opening, saying he “hasn’t been this excited in a long time.”
“It’s small way to say ‘thank you’ to the greats that played for our team over the last 60-plus years,” Spanos said. “It’s the first thing you see when you come into this building which really, to me, says that this is the foundation of our team.”
The facility has been a work in progress for years, and Spanos said during that time he has felt the anticipation and excitement.
“I see it in the community; I see it within the organization — from our staff to our players to our coaches,” he said. “It’s electrifying. Jim Harbaugh being here has brought a new sense of awareness about our team — how important it is to us and to the community. And now you have this new facility that everyone’s been talking about for more than two years now. Our fans are excited. You see it everywhere you go. I hear how they can’t wait to come to camp. Can’t wait to see ‘The Bolt.’ This took a lot of time and a lot of hard work, and I just feel fortunate that our staff, players and fans will be able to enjoy this for years to come.”
Fans will be able to see “The Bolt” in person for a two-day event on July 13 and 14.
“Our fans are part of the Chargers family,” Spanos said. “This is theirs as much as it is ours, and I want them to feel that when they come here.”
Training camp will begin at the facility on July 24. Anyone looking to attend practice will need to pre-register for a free ticket.
