Saints to hold 2024 training camp at University of California, Irvine

The Saints are summering out west.

New Orleans is moving its training camp to the University of California, Irvine, in 2024, the team announced Friday.

The change isn’t permanent; the Saints are moving to Southern California due to a lack of usable space at its Ochsner Sports Performance Center, where the club is working on a one-year construction project to build a new cafeteria for the team.

“Currently, Mrs. Benson and our organization have invested in the construction of a new cafeteria, that when completed, will be among the finest in the National Football League,” said Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said in a statement released by the team. “The scope of this project makes it difficult to host training camp on-site in 2024, given the extensive needs for our team to prepare for the regular season. We appreciate the outstanding support we have received from our great fans at training camp.

“We are thankful to be able to come to an agreement with the University of California, Irvine to host training camp, providing us with exceptional fields and facilities that are critical to our football team receiving the necessary work in preparation for the 2024 season.”

UC Irvine has history hosting training camps in recent years. The Rams called the university home when they moved from St. Louis in 2016 through 2019, then returned from 2021-2023. Their decision to move to Woodland Hills for the 2024 season created space for the Saints to shift their practices to Irvine.

The official start date and schedule for New Orleans’ training camp on the west coast is yet to be determined, but the NFL announced on Friday the offseason workout dates for all 32 teams for the 2024 offseason.