Eagles to open only one training-camp practice to public, will charge admission for charity
The public session will be at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4 at Lincoln Financial Field. Tickets cost $10.
There will only be one opportunity for the general public to watch the Eagles practice this summer, and it will require a $10 fee.
The Eagles announced their training-camp schedule Tuesday, with the full team reporting July 24 and the first practice July 25. The only session open to the public will be at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4 at Lincoln Financial Field. Every other session will be at the NovaCare Complex and open only to invited guests, which includes select season-ticket holders, corporate partners, and charitable organizations.
In a departure from recent years, the public practice will not be free. The Eagles are charging $10 per ticket to enter, with all proceeds going to autism research. The Eagles raised more than $3.5 million for autism research and care at the Eagles Autism Challenge last month, so this continues an organizational emphasis.
However, it is a notable difference from previous seasons, when the Eagles did not charge to enter. Parking will remain free. It will also be Military Appreciation Night, which the Eagles typically hold at an open practice.
Tickets for the public session are on sale at www.ticketmaster.com.
This marks the Eagles’ fewest public practices since they moved training camp from Lehigh University to their South Philadelphia training facility in 2013. Practices had been open to the public at Lehigh, but the number of opportunities for fans to see training camp has dwindled since the camp came to Philadelphia. It went from four in 2013 to three in 2014 to two the past four seasons before dropping to one this season.
When the Eagles moved training camp in 2013, team president Don Smolenski said, “we never would have done this without the ability to have ... open practices for our fans that are free to all the public."
The Eagles are not scheduled to practice on July 28, Aug. 2, and Aug. 9. Training camp will end on Aug. 13. The preseason games will be on Aug. 8, 15, 22, 29. The Eagles are expected to hold joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens leading up to the third preseason game.