VA Beach Decides Against Hosting Training Camp

hamptonroads.com/2008/04/25-million-host-skins-beach-opts-pass-now

$2.5 million to host Skins? Beach opts to pass, for now
Posted to: News Redskins Virginia Beach
More Redskins news

By Deirdre Fernandes
The Virginian-Pilot
© April 24, 2008
VIRGINIA BEACH

The city has sacked any hope of luring the Washington Redskins to Virginia Beach next year for training camp.

After more than seven months of negotiations, Jim Ricketts, director of the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau, cut off discussions with the Redskins about the camp in early April.

"We value our relationship with the Washington Redskins and would like to leave the door open for further discussion at a time when the city's financial position has improved," Ricketts wrote in an April 4 e-mail to Dave Dolton, a Redskins vice president.

Beach officials said they didn't want to spend $2.5 million in taxpayer money during a tight budget year to bring the NFL team's training camp to the resort city.

D elays in negotiations with the team made raising that amount from private sources before the summer of 2009 impossible, city officials said.

"We didn't have the time to have sponsorships lined up," said Steve Herbert, the city's chief development officer. "We certainly weren't going to make it a budget item."

There is more to the article if want to read all.

I was hoping it would come to VA Beach, because it would be so convenient
for me. Maybe they will move it back to Carlisle.

That doesn't surprise me at all. They can just squeeze by keeping minor league sports going on that side of the water. Make a worthy investment (think of the return) and spend the money and get the Redskins down here for camp, never happen!

They just don't have enough sense or in this case I guess they can cry dollars.

I'd LOVE to see training camp return to Carlisle!

Is this full blown training camp or that weekend at the beach thing?

Is this full blown training camp or that weekend at the beach thing?

Full blown training camp. The other thing at the beach the skins are involved in is The Redskins Beach Blitz.

Thanks. That sucks for you guys down there. And for me - my in-laws live in VA Beach. That said, it's good to see them showing a little fiscal responsibility. If they can't afford it, they shouldn't be buying it.

whats the big deal about carlisle? isnt it further away than ashburn? just wondering.

hamptonroads.com/2008/04/25-million-host-skins-beach-opts-pass-now

$2.5 million to host Skins? Beach opts to pass, for now
Posted to: News Redskins Virginia Beach
More Redskins news

By Deirdre Fernandes
The Virginian-Pilot
© April 24, 2008
VIRGINIA BEACH

The city has sacked any hope of luring the Washington Redskins to Virginia Beach next year for training camp.

After more than seven months of negotiations, Jim Ricketts, director of the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau, cut off discussions with the Redskins about the camp in early April.

"We value our relationship with the Washington Redskins and would like to leave the door open for further discussion at a time when the city's financial position has improved," Ricketts wrote in an April 4 e-mail to Dave Dolton, a Redskins vice president.

Beach officials said they didn't want to spend $2.5 million in taxpayer money during a tight budget year to bring the NFL team's training camp to the resort city.

D elays in negotiations with the team made raising that amount from private sources before the summer of 2009 impossible, city officials said.

"We didn't have the time to have sponsorships lined up," said Steve Herbert, the city's chief development officer. "We certainly weren't going to make it a budget item."

There is more to the article if want to read all.

I was hoping it would come to VA Beach, because it would be so convenient
for me. Maybe they will move it back to Carlisle.

i hope so, its only 20 min away.

That doesn't surprise me at all. They can just squeeze by keeping minor league sports going on that side of the water. Make a worthy investment (think of the return) and spend the money and get the Redskins down here for camp, never happen!

They just don't have enough sense or in this case I guess they can cry dollars.
The last major sports investment, The VB Sportsplex is losing approximately $ 500K per yr.

I would love to see training camp down here. I live 5 minutes from the Sportsplex, but I also do some business with the City of VB and they definitely are under a serious budget crunch due to the real estate slowdown.

I don't really know what major return Virginia Beach would see. The Redskins would have a majority of the concessions and the hotels people would stay at would most likely be in Chesapeake due to the cost vs. Oceanfront hotels. There are no hotels within about 7-8 miles of the Sportsplex. Other than some purchases at local stores and restaurants the return would be next to nothing, compared to a $ 2.5M investment. As a taxpayer, I'd be pretty pissed-off if the City did this.

The last major sports investment, The VB Sportsplex is losing approximately $ 500K per yr.

I would love to see training camp down here. I live 5 minutes from the Sportsplex, but I also do some business with the City of VB and they definitely are under a serious budget crunch due to the real estate slowdown.

I don't really know what major return Virginia Beach would see. The Redskins would have a majority of the concessions and the hotels people would stay at would most likely be in Chesapeake due to the cost vs. Oceanfront hotels. There are no hotels within about 7-8 miles of the Sportsplex. Other than some purchases at local stores and restaurants the return would be next to nothing, compared to a $ 2.5M investment. As a taxpayer, I'd be pretty pissed-off if the City did this.


Being a resort city I think your a little off on where people would be willing to stay and/or spend their money for a weekend getaway or whatever the case might be. I think most people coming to VA. beach would stay at the waterfront, on the ocean vs. driving to Chesapeake, which would mean a good piece of revenue in itself, not to include dinning, shopping, gas, and all the little things you buy while on the road that add up to alot.

And if they had done any decent pre-planning with this amount of time to work with, (they didn't start on this yesterday) the could have probably raised most of the funds through private investors to begin with. This is typical VA. beach, business as usual.