RICHMOND, Va. -- Once the home of the NFL Washington Commanders' three-week training camp each summer, the Bon Secours Training Center on W. Leigh Street in Richmond has a new name and a new tenant. The city of Richmond Parks and Recreation Department has taken over much of the training center facility and will run its booking operations.
Now called Midtown Green, city officials plan to open the facility during the day for the public to enjoy the green space and book out the sizeable indoor community spaces and two fields for events like youth sports tournaments, concerts, festivals, and more.
"There’s a season for everything. That was a season a time ago, but now we’re going to chart a new season, open up doors for so many Richmonders," said Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney at an unveiling event Thursday.
Chris Frelke, the director of Richmond Parks and Recreation, said his team plans to better activate the space for use by a broader range of residents and organizations. During its first decade-plus of use, many Richmond residents voiced frustration that the centrally located facility was used sparingly outside of when the team was in town.
"We can do multiple types of sporting events out here. We can draw things in, but it's bigger than just sporting events. As we talked about, Iron Blossom [Music Festival} will be here. Virginia Pride will be here, but we've also worked with Unlocking RVA and other people to do concerts," Frelke said.
Although Washington has not hosted a training camp in any capacity in Richmond since 2021, the transfer of the facility to the city marks the final step in a project that swirled with questions from the start. Richmond leaders used a $10 million loan to build the facility for the Commanders and paid the billion-dollar NFL franchise $500,000 annually to train in Richmond.
The administration of then-Mayor Dwight Jones projected a boom in sales tax from tourism during the three-week training camp would pay for the city's contributions. Those projections never materialized — despite the excitement and sizable crowds the first couple of years — and in 2018, the city refinanced the loan, costing more than $11 million in debt payments over 15 years.
Washington held training camp in Richmond from 2013 to 2019, paused camp in Richmond during the pandemic, and then returned for an abbreviated period before the 2021 season.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t miss the Commanders," said Richmond City Council member (an admitted New York Giants fan) Katherine Jordan. "It was fun; it was absolutely fun, but it’s nothing like what we are going to be able to experience as Parks and Rec takes over this location.”
Frelke said one of the main uses for the fields and locker rooms will be hosting sporting events for Richmond City schools, in partnership with RPS. John Marshall and Richmond High School for the Arts will play football at the facility next Friday.
"How do we give them this great opportunity to use this, to activate this space? That's our main priority, to be quite honest, is to make sure these kids that haven't had some of the opportunities that they deserve. We do that [here]," Frelke said.
Midtown Green is centrally located behind the Science Museum near the ever-growing Scott's Addition. Interestingly enough, Frelke said they see the facility as an expansion of the sports tourism offerings in the city.
“We just don't have a lot of land space in the city to build what other localities can do, but this gives it to us. We can do multiple types of sporting events out here," he said. “There’s a lot we’ll be able to offer, so we’re excited about that.”
While the NFL team will not practice in Richmond anymore, Richmond Parks and Rec plans to focus the facility's use the people who call the River City home.
“That's the goal of Parks and Recreation: how do we create healthy communities and vibrant communities? This is a huge step in the right direction," Frelke said.
Bon Secours still has several offices and rehabilitation areas inside the facility, and they will remain through the end of this year when their lease ends. At that point, Richmond will assume control of the entire facility.
Previously, the Parks and Rec headquarters was inside a leased space on Admiral Street for more than a decade.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
Every day CBS 6 is giving a voice to the stories happening in your community. If you have a story idea, email our team at NewsTips@wtvr.com or click here to submit a tip.
