The Costa Mesa City Council gave unanimous approval Tuesday night March, 21 to enter into a 10-year use agreement with the Los Angeles Chargers to practice at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex during the NFL team’s training camp this summer.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that will benefit both the Chargers and the Costa Mesa community at large while addressing the concerns of the neighbors,” Mayor Pro tem Sandra Genis said. “Along with other fans, I’m looking forward to watching the Chargers in action on our fields.”
The Chargers announced in January that the team is moving from San Diego to Los Angeles and also announced that it was moving its headquarters into the Hive office complex in Costa Mesa.
Chargers owner Dean Spanos spoke to the City Council and thanked City Manager Tom Hatch and the Costa Mesa staff for working hard to make this agreement happen. Spanos invited the community to come to the camp to meet the football players.
“We are very proud and very honored to be a part of Costa Mesa and call this our home,” Spanos said. “This camp is an opportunity for everyone in Costa Mesa to come out and see what it’s all about. I hope the whole city comes out.”
Because the Jack Hammett Sports Complex fields are refurbished during the summer months, no youth sports teams will be displaced during the time the team will use the fields. Starting around mid-July, the team will hold its camp on fields No. 3 and 4 and bring the turf on those fields up to NFL standards. Training camp will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will finish about mid August.
As part of this training camp agreement, the team will provide Costa Mesa with $150,000 a year to use the site for a potential $1.5 million over 10 years.
In addition, the Chargers will give the city $50,000 to be used for a recently approved Mobile Recreation Program. Also, because field refurbishments need to happen as early as April, the Chargers have agreed to give the AYSO soccer organization a one-time payment of $10,000 to assist with finding field space.
The city and the Chargers plan to work closely together to ensure there are minimal disruptions to the nearby homes and neighborhoods. Because the training camp will coincide with the annual OC Fair, the city and the team will also develop a comprehensive plan for managing parking and traffic in the area.
