Training camp will be a little different for the Ravens this year.
Instead of cheering fans, the Ravens will be practicing with the sounds of heavy machinery in the background.
The Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills is undergoing a massive $45 million renovation that got underway this week, and the construction will prevent the team from hosting fans on site during this year's training camp.
However, the Ravens still plan to hold free, open practices for fans at M&T Bank Stadium as they have done in recent years.
The Ravens will invite fans back to training camp practices in 2018 when the exterior construction is complete. Part of the project has also been purchasing more land surrounding the team facility, which will be used to dramatically increase the amount of parking on the property. Those changes will improve the experience for fans at training camp practices in the future.
"We are disappointed that we will not be able to have fans at our training camp this summer because of the ongoing construction," Ravens President Dick Cass said. "But the good news is that when fans return to training camp in the summer of 2018, the changes we are now making will make the fan experience at training camp even better."
When the project is completed, the team will be able to provide parking for up to 1,200 fans. In the past, fans who attended training camp practices had to park at a nearby park and then take shuttle buses to the facility.
The Ravens have been holding training camp at their team facility since 2011. They used to have training camp at McDaniel College in Westminster, but moved it to the Under Armour Performance Center because it is better suited to accommodate the team.
