Eagles fans flock to Philly’s Lincoln Financial Field to catch practice

The Eagles hosted their first and only public practice Sunday night, as nearly 30,000 fans gathered to see their favorite players on the field before the preseason opens Friday.

Cheerleaders, a band, and the team’s fight song animated the crowd, which came from all over to cheer from the stands of Lincoln Financial Field.

Maryland native Russell Boone drove three hours to see the Eagles in action as his 40th birthday present. “There is too much talent on the field this season,” Boone said. His hopes are on Jalen Hurts and how his work as a quarterback will take the team to the playoffs.

Like Boone, many fans seem to be focusing on the playoffs before making any Super Bowl projections. Philly native Stephen Buster says it might still be too soon for such projection. But coming to the training camp, he thinks, is a good opportunity for fans to see how the players are performing.

While eyes seem to be on the newest addition to the team, wide receiver A.J. Brown, and quarterback Hurts, fans such as Verona Cartier place hopes to get to the Super Bowl on coach Nick Sirianni. “It was a long road of depression when they didn’t win, but when they won it gave us new life,” Cartier said. But, “without the band leader the music doesn’t sound right,” she added.

The public practice provides an opportunity for fans to see the Eagles in action, but the low ticket cost ($10), with proceeds donated to autism research, adds into the fan hype.

Mark Guilbert and Joseph Spencer have been Eagles fans for more than 40 years. Even after moving out to Harrisburg, the pair made the trip to see the team practice. As the players started being announced on the field, both hoped to see “another victory parade and to beat Dallas twice.”

While Guilbert saw this year’s practice as a great opportunity to enjoy the game at a reasonable cost, Spencer’s excitement went beyond the field: He has two nephews with autism.

Spencer sees the team’s donations for autism research, which have been made since 2018, as proof of Philadelphia’s brotherly love. This year, the Eagles are donating more than $15 million going toward 63 research projects and community grants. “The team supports the community and the community supports the team,” Spencer said.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the number of fans who attended Sunday’s practice.