The Minnesota Vikings will debut a new practice facility on the outskirts of Minneapolis next spring. The facility is expected to follow the model of the Dallas Cowboys in creating one of the best environments in sports for players to train in.
Among other things, there will be restaurants, gyms, apartments ans office complexes. The facility itself can seat 6,000 people and will be shared by high school football teams.
In talking about the soon-to-be erected facility, Vikings COO Kevin Warren had this to say.
“You can get all the services you need, but they have been bifurcated and broken up, so you have players going to different locations,” Warren told ESPN. “The more we can create this environment, when we start talking about live, work and play, I know I would be ecstatic if we had players that actually lived here on the premises.”
Well, that’s one way to make sure players keep in shape and out of trouble during the offseason. Warren goes on to indicate that the world-class environment might lead to players deciding to stay in the offseason instead of spreading out across the country and the world.
“If we build a world-class environment here, when the season’s over, you might as well stay here. If you’re going to get your best training, you’re going to have the best facility in the world, you have rehabilitative services, there’s no reason to go to other parts of the country. You might as well stay here.”
We are not yet sure what the price tag for this facility is going to be. But it is likely to follow the model set forth by the Cowboys last year. Their facility in Frisco cost $1.5 billion to erect.