Bills announce training camp headed back to SJF

[The Wiz]

Probably the last year there is my guess.

 

 

[Process]

9 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

Probably the last year there is my guess.

What makes you say that?

[GunnerBill]

5 minutes ago, Process said:

What makes you say that?

 

I don't know if it's the last year but the fact they are now doing no more than year to year agreements does suggest they are open to moving from SJF at some point.

[The Wiz]

7 minutes ago, Process said:

What makes you say that?

Just a hunch that Terry doesn't like the idea of paying for the team going to Rochester for a month and a half after they put the final touches on a 2+ billion dollar stadium. 

 

That doesn't mean that they are going to do camp in OP but I'm sure they would like more people around the area to see the new stadium and surroundings.

[Doc]

Great, another training camp I won't be able to get tickets to...

[Royale with Cheese]

14 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

Just a hunch that Terry doesn't like the idea of paying for the team going to Rochester for a month and a half after they put the final touches on a 2+ billion dollar stadium. 

 

That doesn't mean that they are going to do camp in OP but I'm sure they would like more people around the area to see the new stadium and surroundings.

 

I think they should move it to Atlanta personally.

[corta765]

14 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

Just a hunch that Terry doesn't like the idea of paying for the team going to Rochester for a month and a half after they put the final touches on a 2+ billion dollar stadium. 

 

That doesn't mean that they are going to do camp in OP but I'm sure they would like more people around the area to see the new stadium and surroundings.

 

Respectfully Pegula could care less. Beane & McD both have actively said they like going to Rochester even if it is more prorated at 2 1/2 weeks now compared to the nearly month long time they use to be here. The Bills already do the return of the Blue & Red at the stadium which is big draw for the fans.

 

Now in the future is Rochester maybe more of a week long thing? Possibly. But they updated their facilities back in 2019 and still have choose Rochester since so the idea of the new stadium being the changer really doesn't hold water because the facilities at their home base matter way more then the stadium which they only really use for major events.

[Peevo]

10 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

Just a hunch that Terry doesn't like the idea of paying for the team going to Rochester for a month and a half after they put the final touches on a 2+ billion dollar stadium. 

 

That doesn't mean that they are going to do camp in OP but I'm sure they would like more people around the area to see the new stadium and surroundings.

 

Training camp these days is like 2 weeks at most. I don't know the numbers, but the margin on SJF has gotta be tight.

 

Yes, they sell sponsorships (Connors and Ferris), and I'm sure the gift shop does well. 

 

But still, the operating expenses of packing up the entire training department (the Bills training staff literally pack up all their gear in a truck and unpack it every year), for 2 weeks, can't possibly be worth it.

 

Look at this way. You're a Buffalo/WNY area fan. Under McDermott, the team has retired night practices completely.

 

You want to go to training camp in Pittsford, NY?

 

• Take PTO for the morning drive on some random Tuesday morning in August
• Wake up at like 5:30/6 AM
• Drive 90 minutes plus down the highway - depending where you live (Fredonia, NY for example, you're 2hrs or more)
• Park at a random high school parking lot 25 ish minutes away from SJF
• Wait in line to get on a bus / shuttle to campus
• Wait in line through security to enter Training Camp
• Walk the entire campus to finally reach the facilities
• The grandstands are already packed to the gills, and there are 0 spots available to see anything
• You resort to sitting on some grassy knoll across the street from the practice field
• You see literally nothing
• It's 12:30 PM on a Tuesday in Rochester
• You get an underwhelming garbage plate
• It's now 1:40 PM on a Tuesday in Rochester
• What do you do now?

Back when the team actually used Rochester as a marketing vehicle, there were weekend night practices.

 

You could go out, get a dinner, go see a band at BugJar something. Make a night of it!

 

Now it's a waste of resources for just about everyone except immediate residents of Pittsford / the surrounding burbs. 

 

The only reason they went to SJF in the first place is because of Russ Brandon's affiliation with the team. He hasn't been employed by the Pegulas in 6 years. 

 

Pittsford training camp has long surpassed its useful life. Maybe it was important to "regionalize" the fanbase in the Drought Era. I get it. But Josh Allen negates all of that.

[corta765]

1 minute ago, Peevo said:

Now it's a waste of resources for just about everyone except immediate residents of Pittsford / the surrounding burbs. 

 

The only reason they went to SJF in the first place is because of Russ Brandon's affiliation with the team. He hasn't been employed by the Pegulas in 6 years. 

 

Pittsford training camp has long surpassed its useful life. Maybe it was important to "regionalize" the fanbase in the Drought Era. I get it. But Josh Allen negates all of that.

Again literally the coach and GM have said they find value in this for team which is why it continues. It has zero to do with regionalization, just the fact GM/Coach find it a good thing they like for the team. As long as they see it that way it will not change.

[extrahammer]

Yeah the Bills really need to start marketing again. 

[Doc]

21 minutes ago, Peevo said:

 

Training camp these days is like 2 weeks at most. I don't know the numbers, but the margin on SJF has gotta be tight.

 

Yes, they sell sponsorships (Connors and Ferris), and I'm sure the gift shop does well. 

 

But still, the operating expenses of packing up the entire training department (the Bills training staff literally pack up all their gear in a truck and unpack it every year), for 2 weeks, can't possibly be worth it.

 

Look at this way. You're a Buffalo/WNY area fan. Under McDermott, the team has retired night practices completely.

 

You want to go to training camp in Pittsford, NY?

 

• Take PTO for the morning drive on some random Tuesday morning in August
• Wake up at like 5:30/6 AM
• Drive 90 minutes plus down the highway - depending where you live (Fredonia, NY for example, you're 2hrs or more)
• Park at a random high school parking lot 25 ish minutes away from SJF
• Wait in line to get on a bus / shuttle to campus
• Wait in line through security to enter Training Camp
• Walk the entire campus to finally reach the facilities
• The grandstands are already packed to the gills, and there are 0 spots available to see anything
• You resort to sitting on some grassy knoll across the street from the practice field
• You see literally nothing
• It's 12:30 PM on a Tuesday in Rochester
• You get an underwhelming garbage plate
• It's now 1:40 PM on a Tuesday in Rochester
• What do you do now?

Back when the team actually used Rochester as a marketing vehicle, there were weekend night practices.

 

You could go out, get a dinner, go see a band at BugJar something. Make a night of it!

 

Now it's a waste of resources for just about everyone except immediate residents of Pittsford / the surrounding burbs. 

 

The only reason they went to SJF in the first place is because of Russ Brandon's affiliation with the team. He hasn't been employed by the Pegulas in 6 years. 

 

Pittsford training camp has long surpassed its useful life. Maybe it was important to "regionalize" the fanbase in the Drought Era. I get it. But Josh Allen negates all of that.

 

True, but Kim grew up in Fairport.

[Peevo]

14 minutes ago, corta765 said:

Again literally the coach and GM have said they find value in this for team which is why it continues. It has zero to do with regionalization, just the fact GM/Coach find it a good thing they like for the team. As long as they see it that way it will not change.

 

But you're removing the entire fan experience / fan accommodations from the calculus.

 

The GM & Coach ought not be the only decision makers in this process, given legit business interests involved. Sponsors, advertisers, the campus itself.

 

SJF has a vested interest (seems obvious) in maintaining this relationship.

 

However, SJF for 2.5 DECADES doesn't seem to care at all about how the thing runs. Wouldn't it be better for fans if they could simply PARK ON CAMPUS?

 

That would attract MORE VISITORS. More eyes on your facilities. More potential boosters. Potential students. Potential legacies. More revenues for the school!

 

A public facility would theoretically welcome any and all comers to experience the space. In my opinion, SJF is "a solution without a problem". 

 

It's a clunky, awful experience for almost any fan outside of Pittsford, NY.

 

There's no reason to keep it that way when you have a $20 MILLION training facility in the town where all your employees already live.

[The Wiz]

1 minute ago, Doc said:

 

True, but Kim grew up in Fairport.

And Ralph has the Athletic Center and School of Education named after him there as well because of all the money he donated to them.

[Kirby Jackson]

I personally like it there. Most years I try to get there for a session. It just feels a little old school in a good way. It feels very “Packers players on the back of bikes” to me. Obviously Rochester is a huge part of the Bills fan base but it’s beyond that. It just feels right.

[Wacka]

Houghton Park on Cinton St. in Buffalo like one year in the 60s!

[The Wiz]

3 minutes ago, Peevo said:

 

But you're removing the entire fan experience / fan accommodations from the calculus.

 

The GM & Coach ought not be the only decision makers in this process, given legit business interests involved. Sponsors, advertisers, the campus itself.

 

SJF has a vested interest (seems obvious) in maintaining this relationship.

 

However, SJF for 2.5 DECADES doesn't seem to care at all about how the thing runs. Wouldn't it be better for fans if they could simply PARK ON CAMPUS?

 

That would attract MORE VISITORS. More eyes on your facilities. More potential boosters. Potential students. Potential legacies. More revenues for the school!

 

A public facility would theoretically welcome any and all comers to experience the space. In my opinion, SJF is "a solution without a problem". 

 

It's a clunky, awful experience for almost any fan outside of Pittsford, NY.

 

There's no reason to keep it that way when you have a $20 MILLION training facility in the town where all your employees already live.

And the fact that they now limit the amount of tickets to go to training camp reduces the amount of visitors that are coming.  And I can only imagine that the reality of it is that they aren't actually limiting the amount of tickets but the amount of tickets available to the general public.  Most of the sponsors are probably getting those tickets and giving them away to their workers or selling them for $100 on the secondary market which is just disgusting to me.

[corta765]

2 minutes ago, Peevo said:

 

But you're removing the entire fan experience / fan accommodations from the calculus.

 

The GM & Coach ought not be the only decision makers in this process, given legit business interests involved. Sponsors, advertisers, the campus itself.

 

SJF has a vested interest (seems obvious) in maintaining this relationship.

 

However, SJF for 2.5 DECADES doesn't seem to care at all about how the thing runs. Wouldn't it be better for fans if they could simply PARK ON CAMPUS?

 

That would attract MORE VISITORS. More eyes on your facilities. More potential boosters. Potential students. Potential legacies. More revenues for the school!

 

A public facility would theoretically welcome any and all comers to experience the space. In my opinion, SJF is "a solution without a problem". 

 

It's a clunky, awful experience for almost any fan outside of Pittsford, NY.

 

There's no reason to keep it that way when you have a $20 MILLION training facility in the town where all your employees already live.

 

Bud the GM & Coach only care about what is best for the team. You are only thinking of it from a fan perspective and honestly your perspective is really wrong considering how many fans like how close you can get to the team and the access provided that doesn't exist anymore. Sounds like you have had poor experiences in Pittsford, but for many families and kids especially you are not getting near the same experience in stadium as you do at SJF. 

 

And to repeat again the GM & Coach will do what they believe is in the best interest of the team cost be damned. If they feel this is what is best they will do so and Pegula has smartly let them and stayed the heck out of it.

[Peevo]

3 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

And Ralph has the Athletic Center and School of Education named after him there as well because of all the money he donated to them.

 

Sure, that's why they named the buildings after him. That's the trade off. $ = naming rights. It's not that deep.

 

The "Jacobs School of Management" is named at UB for the Jacobs family. Do the Boston Bruins practice at the Pepsi Center?

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

40 minutes ago, Doc said:

Great, another training camp I won't be able to get tickets to...

I actually won the online lottery last year! It was a miracle, and I suspect a once in a lifetime win. Got to go and bring my kids. But short of that, there is no chance in attending. 

[corta765]

4 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I personally like it there. Most years I try to get there for a session. It just feels a little old school in a good way. It feels very “Packers players on the back of bikes” to me. Obviously Rochester is a huge part of the Bills fan base but it’s beyond that. It just feels right.

 

In today's NFL where most teams do not do camp like that, access is very limited, and it is very corporate driven if not monetized also; BUF is one of the few remaining like PIT/GB where it is a far more relaxed old school feel. The NFL has very few things that are so open and free for fans like this. I expect at some point it will end because everything is monetized now by the NFL, but while it exists I am happy for fans and families that get a more unique experience then what exists at most of the NFL teams.