Report: Redskins May Move Training Facility to D.C.

Could Loudoun County lose the Redskins?

NBC4 News reported Aug. 13 that team officials and leaders in Washington, D.C., are in “intense and private discussions” about moving the team’s games and practices into the city.

According to the report, which mostly cited unnamed sources, Redskins owner Dan Snyder wants to build a large facility on the site of RFK Stadium that would include a 110,000 seat domed stadium as well as a training facility and a team hall of fame.

Currently, the team practices at Redskins Park in Ashburn and had shown interest in building a hall of fame in the county.

“We have let the team know that we are interested,” said Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty on NBC4 Thursday. “If there is a window of opportunity, we are going to jump through it.”

Fenty also said that ways to break the team's current lease at FedEx Field, which runs through 2027, were being examined.

The news comes several months after Loudoun’s Board of Supervisors agreed to enter the county into a two-year business deal with the team that ensures Loudoun will be marketed as the home to Redskins Park. A majority of the board also decided to support a hall of fame in the county. The deal is costing Loudoun $250,000 in tourism tax funds.

The February decision came after weeks of heated debate about spending county money on a team that is said to be the second wealthiest in the NFL. The first vote on the matter failed last fall. But, after much public outcry and reports that Fairfax County wanted the hall of fame, the board revisited the partnership deal and narrowly approved it.

Loudoun Supervisor Lori Waters (R-Broad Run) worked closely with Redskins officials in helping to craft the much-maligned partnership. She said she was not aware of the NBC4 report but praised the team’s presence in Loudoun.

“I think we have a very positive relationship with them, and we want them in Loudoun,” she said.

Considering the team’s vast fan base – 75,000 fans visited last year’s month-long training camp at Redskins Park-- Waters said she’s not surprised by the reported discussions between the team and the District.

“I don’t doubt there are a lot of other jurisdictions that would want the Redskins,” she said. “A lot of people see the value in such a facility.”

Supervisor Andrea McGimsey (D-Potomac) was one of three supervisors to oppose the marketing partnership. While she wants the Redskins to remain in Loudoun, she questioned whether the team's presence here is a financial benefit to area businesses.

"It was never made clear to me what type of money fans spend in the county," she said, adding that most fans live close-by, meaning they are most likely not staying in hotels and eating at local restaurants.

She said Loudoun's tourism dollars could be better spent elsewhere, including on promoting Loudoun history, especially with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War set to launch in 2011.

"We could certainly use the dollars to attract those tourists here," she said.

According to land records, Redskins Park Inc. F/K/A/Byrnley Corp. has been the owner of the team’s training facility off Loudoun County Parkway since 1991. Today, the 45-acre property is valued at $18.5 million.

For decades, the team conducted training camp in Pennsylvania. It then moved camp to Redskins Park in 2000, before moving back north for two more seasons. Since 2003, camp has remained in Ashburn.

When contacted, a team spokesman had not seen the report and could not comment, while another spokesman could not be reached to respond.