We might be in Southern California, the home to the Los Angeles Rams, and the Los Angeles Chargers. But, die-hard pro football fans from around the world are flocking to Ventura County, to see their beloved Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys are continuing their decades old tradition of holding a summer training camp in Oxnard. A dozen of their workouts from now until mid-August are open to the public.
Shari Sanchez and her daughter Sydney spent more than five hours in a car to get to the camp.
"We drove all the way up from San Diego to Oxnard, because we love our Cowboys," said Sanchez. "It just is in my veins, since I was five years old, and my father taught me about football, and the Cowboys were the first team I loved."
There are hundreds of fans here, most sporting Cowboys T-shirts, jerseys and caps. Fans with VIP passes can actually walk up to the edge of one of the two practice fields, with the players going through drills just 20 feet away.
"I went to a game two years ago, and I thought that was insane. Seeing them this close...it's crazy," said Erin Svetland, who came out from the East Coast with his father, Keith, just to get a close up look at their favorite team.
"I've been a Cowboys fan for a good 30 years," said Keith Svetland. "It's our first time in California, and we're checking out the Cowboys camp."
The Cowboys have been coming to Ventura County since the 1970’s, when they trained at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. After a break in the 1990’s, they started holding camps in Oxnard in the early 2000’s. Team owner Jerry Jones likes the cooler summer weather here. Plus, the team built a strong fan base in Southern California during the decades LA didn’t have a team.
While the Cowboys are known as America’s football team, their fan base is much bigger than that. Mario Samano brought his wife, and two kids from their home in Guadalajara, Mexico to visit the camp.
"My dad...he was a big fan since he was a boy...he passed the love of the Cowboys to me," said Samano. But, he admits getting his wife, and kids to come to the camp also had to include a promise they would also go to Disneyland.
Stephan Barr is here from the Bahamas. "I came just for training camp," said Barr. "I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan at heart, My friends...every single one of them...think I'm crazy...I flew all the way here just for training camp."
The camp is at the River Ridge Playing Fields, off of Ventura Road in Oxnard. Admission is free, but there’s a parking charge. There are two large practice fields, and bleachers for fans who want to sit. There’s food, and of course a huge Cowboys team store.
While the camp is officially underway, the team will hold opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by an 11:30 a.m. practice.
The camp runs through August 15 in Oxnard. The team will then return to its home base of Frisco, Texas to finish its pre-season training.
