Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ten Reasons to Attend Bucs Training Camp
Ten Reasons to Attend Bucs Training Camp in Person
Admission is free to every open training camp practice, including the Night Practice at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, July 27. Parking is free and close. Discounted concessions will be available at both One Buccaneer Place and the stadium. And if you're looking to gear up for the new season, you'll find the newest items for sale right there at training camp.
The Buccaneers put in a lot of valuable work during their offseason program, but league rules do not allow padded practices or any real contact until training camp. These players have been itching to put on the pads and start hitting each other. Camp will be the first real action of 2013, and you can be there to watch the only open practices NFL teams have all year.
Whenever camp is open to the public, practice is held on the westernmost field, which has covered bleachers on three sides. Fans in the stands will find themselves only a few feet away from the players as they put in their work – close enough to see the sweat fly when Vincent Jackson skies over a DB for the catch.
The 2013 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders squad has been formed but is still waiting to get its formal introduction to Buccaneer fans. Training camp will take care of that, as the Cheerleaders are a constant and welcome presence at all practices, happily interacting with Buc fans and cheering the team on with their exciting dance routines. Plus, the cheerleaders will once again be handing out…
Yes, training camp can be quite hot. The covered bleachers offer fans relief and protection from the sun, but that's not the only way you can cool down at Bucs training camp. Continuing a tradition that was born when the Buccaneers moved camp back to team headquarters in 2009, Buccaneers Cheerleaders will periodically hand out ice pops to fans during practices at One Buccaneer Place.
Darrelle Revis will be on the field in some capacity when camp begins. Dashon Goldson will be adding his presence to the defensive backfield. Tom Crabtree, Jonathan Casillas, Kevin Ogletree and Derek Landri will all be battling for significant roles. And the newest Bucs of all, the 2013 draft class headlined by CB Johnthan Banks, will play before the home crowd for the first time. Be the first to see them in action.
The Buccaneers are fully committed to using training camp as an opportunity to get up close and personal with the team's fans. At the end of every open practice at One Buccaneer Place, dozens of players, including the team's biggest stars, will come directly to the fans in the bleachers to mingle and sign autographs. At the July 27 Night Practice at Raymond James Stadium, the team will arrive hours early for a lengthy autograph session in the style of previous year's FanFests.
Head Coach Greg Schiano believes in fostering competition at every spot on the depth chart, but there is no doubt that some positions are more of a question mark heading into camp than others. Who will take over at nose tackle and strongside linebacker? How will the tight end corps shape up? Who is the best candidate for the third receiver spot? Fans will watch those battles unfold just a few feet from their perches.
Even with two-a-days a thing of the past, training camp can still be quite a grind for the men trying to win or retain their jobs. An emotional lift can help a weary player give it his all for just one more rep or one more battle with the man across the line of scrimmage. At training camp, unlike any other practices during the year, there is that synergy between fans and players that makes game day during the season so much fun.
Last year's training camp Night Practice drew an amazing crowd of more than 30,000 fans to Raymond James Stadium, making it the largest free public event in franchise history. With on-field interviews, helpful descriptions of the various drills, music and entertainment on the BucVision videoboards and even a live scrimmage, this is clearly the most engaging practice of the year for Bucs fans. If that wasn't enough, once again it will all be capped by a fireworks show over the stadium.
