Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
Sport
Patrick Finley

NFL expects fans at games and training camp

Bears head coach Matt Nagy gives his bike to 10-year-old Kanye Shannon during a 2018 practice in Bourbonnais. | Brian O’Mahoney, Chicago Sun-Times

The NFL expects fans to fill stadiums during the regular season and attend training camp starting in late July, league officials told teams Tuesday as part of virtual spring meetings. In addition, league officials said at least 30 of 32 teams — including the Bears — are expected to host full stadiums in the fall, per NFL Network.

Teams are set to report to camp July 27. The NFL plans on marketing July 31 practices — the first Saturday of camp — in a coordinated way across the league. That hoopla hasn’t surrounded training camp before, but the NFL appears eager to celebrate a return to normalcy.

Camp attendance will be subject to state and local guidelines. It’s unclear exactly how many the Bears could welcome; their new summer home at Halas Hall has considerably less parking and other amenities than Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais. Camps across the league figure to look different, however. Fans aren’t likely to get as close to players as they were in pre-pandemic times.

NFL teams held training camps without fans last year.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.