Chargers usher in new era with Jim Harbaugh, sparkling new headquarters
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — It took a little longer than expected, but for Los Angeles Chargers chief of staff Fred Maas and the rest of the organization, the team's new headquarters was worth the wait.
After seven years of toiling in a temporary facility in Costa Mesa, the Chargers opened a 150,000 square foot space just minutes from LAX, the beach and SoFi Stadium.
Called "The Bolt," the state-of-the-art facility houses three practice fields, a lap pool, a locker room that can accommodate up to 104 players, an indoor/outdoor weight room, a 173-seat theater-style meeting room and new office facilities.
The Chargers broke ground in May 2022 and opened two years later — on schedule and in time for the start of 2024 training camp.
After hiring new head coach Jim Harbaugh months earlier, the facility for the Chargers is another major step toward what the team hopes is the creation of a culture that leads to sustainable winning.
"I think it's really an exclamation point on what's been an incredible journey for us, on how we moved to L.A. and what we accomplished here," said Maas, who oversaw construction of the project.
Maas said the team reviewed several different sites before landing on the 14 acres in El Segundo. He personally toured dozens of pro and college facilities, including The Star that houses the Dallas Cowboys in Frisco, Texas, along with the headquarters of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings nearby in El Segundo.
"We always knew we were coming here," Maas said. "It was extremely important to the brand and who we are and the identity of the team. It's not easy finding the opportunity to build a complex like this."
In the latest NFLPA survey, the Chargers received not-so-flattering reviews from their players, including an F grade for food. Overall, the team's temporary facilities in Orange County ranked 30th in the league.
In a major upgrade, food in the new facility will be prepared in a cafeteria operated by Wolfgang Puck Catering and includes a pizza oven shaped like a Chargers helmet. Maas said he considered all the feedback in putting together the new facility for the team.
"When we started here, it wasn't really the survey that drove us," Maas said. "It was how do we create a world-class facility and a world-class experience for our players, for our executives and for our fans."
Maas said the three grass fields were non-negotiable because of the safety of the players and the flexibility to rotate and reconfigure the fields when the grass wears down.
The Shop-Vac that Harbaugh helped strength coach Ben Herbert pick out for the weight room also made it over to the new facility.
"That's my baby," joked Herbert.
Compared to the old facility, players have twice as much space to move around in the new locker room and lounge area. The entrance to the new facility includes a Chargers Walk of Fame — an ode to the nearby Hollywood Walk of Fame with terrazzo tiles and bronze inlays honoring legendary players like Junior Seau, LaDainian Tomlinson, Dan Fouts, Lance Alworth and Antonio Gates. The walkway leads to the lobby that features a three-story video board.
"The Bolt" is the first dedicated NFL training facility and headquarters in Los Angeles.
"I was taking a tour with the players and I realized, Joe Alt was 13 when I started this, now he's our first-round pick," joked Maas. "That's crazy."
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
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