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How the Chargers' State-of-the-Art Practice Facility Came to Be
The 145,000 square foot space is a dynamic, state-of-the-art performance center and office for players, coaches, and staff, but it will be equally as exciting for fans and partners as well, including a roof-top hospitality club, full eSports gaming and content studios, and a 3,100 square foot media center.
Nov 01, 2021

From scouting the precise location to designing the renderings, a process that's been five years in the making is here.

The future facility of the Los Angeles Chargers will reside in El Segundo.

The 145,000 square foot space is a dynamic, state-of-the-art performance center and office for players, coaches, and staff, but it will be equally as exciting for fans and partners as well, including a roof-top hospitality club, full eSports gaming and content studios, and a 3,100 square foot media center.

Three natural grass fields will reside outside the main building. Other outdoor amenities include an additional 3,400 square foot elevated turf area and a two-lane lap pool for player rehabilitation.

Here's more regarding the Bolts' new facility, which is estimated for completion by spring 2024.

THE ORIGINS

"When searching for a location to establish our hub of football and business operations, we didn't leave a single stone unturned. This process played out for more than four years because we weren't willing to settle. Good enough wasn't going to cut it. We wanted great, and we finally found it. To be able to develop 14 acres of prime real estate – with the proximity to LAX, SoFi Stadium, Silicon Beach, more Fortune 500 companies in the state than anywhere except San Francisco and, of course, neighbors like the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings – it's another major step toward building a perennial contender and further rooting ourselves in the community we serve." – Dean Spanos, Owner and Chairman of the Board, Los Angeles Chargers

"The opportunity to find a permanent home in Los Angeles has been sort of the crescendo of our move back to town. It's been a journey we've been on for four-plus years to try and find the appropriate home. We finally found one. We spent the last eight months negotiating what will truly be an extraordinary opportunity, not just for our team, but for the fans, for the South Bay, and for greater Los Angeles. It's a truly signature statement for this team, what we hope from the community and what we hope we'll be giving back to them." – Fred Maas, Chief of Staff, Los Angeles Chargers

Take a look at the latest renderings of the Chargers new state-of-the-art practice facility in El Segundo, CA.

"This project obviously was a big undertaking, so it took a lot of time, and it took a lot of peoples' hard work over a long period of time. Finally, for all of this now to culminate, it's pretty special. But the genesis goes way back for many, many years, and really wanting to find a permanent site that can help our team prepare and give us an advantage to go out and compete for a world championship." – John Spanos, President Football Operations, Los Angeles Chargers

"I was super excited about working on a training facility for an NFL team. We've done a number of different practice facilities for colleges and we did the Cowboys' practice facility back in 2015, which was a great experience. The unique thing about working on training facilities for teams is it's very personal. This is their home. When you do a stadium for them, it's a venue, and it's a 'show place' but it's about the fan experience and it's about sponsorship. But when you're talking about the training facility, it's really their home and I think it's the most personal you can get in terms of designing for a team. It's more like doing somebody's personal house for them. It's an intense process and one that's a lot of fun." – Eric Randolph, Design Manager, Gensler Sports

THE LOCATION

"When our staff and I first started here, we talked a lot about possibility. You could just see it coming. The possibility of this team. The possibility of L.A. The goal is for the Chargers to become the standard of excellence in the NFL. This new facility demonstrates our organization's commitment to that standard." – Bandon Staley, Head Coach, Los Angeles Chargers

"The Lakers welcome the Los Angeles Chargers, and Dean Spanos and his family, to El Segundo. El Segundo is a great place to be, and it's exciting that our city will now host the headquarters and training facilities of the Lakers, Kings and Chargers." – Jeanie Buss, Governor and Co-owner, Los Angeles Lakers

"El Segundo has been a tremendous home for the LA Kings for more than 20 years, and throughout this time the City and the community overall have been outstanding partners. Our hockey club is now thrilled to help welcome the Los Angeles Chargers to the South Bay, joining us and our life-long friends, the Lakers, in this affable community we call home. The Chargers – their players, their staff – are perfectly suited to add so much to El Segundo, and we look forward to partnering with them as we continue to seek opportunities to make positive contributions to the local community." – Luc Robitaille, LA Kings President and Hockey Hall of Famer

"We found a location that really matches the right fit in all aspects for the Chargers. The location identifies with the Southern California lifestyle, close to the coast. Connected to all aspects of the community in Los Angeles. And also, it's in the sports hub of the city. You have the Lakers, the Kings, and now the Chargers will all be close to each other. And it's very close to the new stadium, as well." – John Zanetos, CBRE

"I think landing on the site that they have that's in the South Bay is perfect in terms of really encapsulating what California and Los Angeles is all about. It's in a great location near the airport so players going in and out, that's huge. And it's also close to the areas that players want to live. It's close to the beach and I think it's going to be a great thing for the players." – Eric Randolph, Design Manager, Gensler Sports

THE VISION

"All of the NFL teams, you see a lot of new facilities being done and it's very important to every one of them that their brand is represented in the facility. That really is how the inspiration for the design came about. We wanted something that really was the 'bolt,' that really felt like the bolt and was very clear – not hitting you over the head with it – but it was very clear this was a really dynamic design with some really great bolt-like kind of moves … You can put your logo on something and you can do a lot of things, but I think as an architect, I think it's best to create a piece of architecture that actually embraces the entire feeling and passion of the team." – Ron Turner, Global Practice Leader, Gensler Sports

"We needed to find a home that was right for us, that was unique to the Chargers. When you look at the design and what they came up with, this facility really can't function for any other team but the L.A. Chargers. Home is where you hang your hat, right? We want this place to be comfortable and to be a place where the players build those bonds that are going to serve them on the field. I think when you look at the facility and it coming together, it will be impressive. It will be a state-of-the-art team-training facility that is equal to any in the NFL." – A.G. Spanos, President Business Operations, Los Angeles Chargers

THE DESIGN

"The look, feel and functionality of your training facility means more today than it ever has in professional sports. Being able to create a building that can grow with technological advances – especially in regard to nutritional needs, strength and performance, injury prevention, medical treatment and game planning – is crucial to sustained success. Everyone knows the margin between wins and losses in the NFL is razor thin. Any advantage you can create for your coaches and players, you'll take it. Having a world-class training facility definitely falls into that category." – Tom Telesco, General Manager, Los Angeles Chargers

"What's unique about the Chargers facility is that it's on three levels. Which can be a challenge, but it also provides an opportunity. So the ground floor has all of the player facilities; training, and has direct access to the field. Up on the second level is kind of more of a community space where they have the players dining and they can come together with the staff. The scouting staff is on that level. And then the third floor has more of the front office headquarters and the Lux Club up there. From those upper levels, they have an unimpeded view of the field so they can see what's going on, on the field which is great." – Eric Randolph, Design Manager, Gensler Sports

"It was taking the DNA of SoFi Stadium and what that represents to a modern sports facility and then transitioning that same DNA to a more permanent home. So we've tried to take a lot of the lessons that we've learned and the kind of emblematic nature of what the facility could be, and how it could help define us and our team and our fans for the future. I think that's really what it represents. The architecture is iconic, it will be all state-of-the-art. We're gonna be incorporating things some clubs have done. And it's truly an exciting opportunity to be a full expression of what the Los Angeles Chargers mean to L.A." – Fred Maas, Chief of Staff, Los Angeles Chargers

"You'll see a lot of dynamic facades, angular to work with the Chargers' brand. We really wanted to bring that 'bolt' element into the way the facades look, so you'll see a lot of angular shapes. I think the fact that it almost feels like it's in perpetual movement, it's relating to the players on the field." – Kristin Byrd, Gensler Sports

THE FANS

"I think what the fans need to know is that ownership is committed to creating a training facility that's going to give their team, players, and coaches, everything that they need to do to do their job to win games. I think the specific features that are there for that to happen really are going to evolve as we move through the design process. They are totally committed to making this the best it can be.

"Training camp will be able to happen at the training facility with the ability for fans to come out. There's ample parking on the site for the team, but because of the nature of the site and the community there, there's overflow parking available for those kinds of special events. The access to the building is very central." – Eric Randolph, Design Manager, Gensler Sports

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