October 24, 2014

Behind the scenes of Detroit Lions' Training Facility

As you read this, the Detroit Lions are experiencing quite the change of scenery as far as their practices go.

On Monday, the men in Honolulu blue flew to London, England for their contest this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons in Wembley Stadium.

Which means you could probably hear crickets chirping back at their training facility -- the Detroit Lions' headquarters -- in Allen Park, Michigan.

So I figured this would be an opportune time to showcase the site where the Lions usually practice and prepare for games.

Let's go inside...

The Lobby
From the high cathedral ceilings all the way down to the pristine hardwood floors, the lobby of the Lions' training facility looks like what you think it would look like: Pretty darn nice.

You are now entering...
These frothy glass doors lead to, well, everything.

The Field
Sandoval Field is the indoor football field located inside the Lions' headquarters, and the turf that covers the field is identical to that which is found at Detroit's Ford Field, where the Lions play their games...



Detroit's Hall of Fame
After exiting Sandoval Field, one encounters glass shelves that display the helmets which represent the remaining 31 NFL teams. And then one sees the photos of the players who have put the Detroit Lions on the map through the years, including NFL Hall of Famer running back Barry Sanders, whom my husband Scott blocked for during his entire career...


School is in Session
It goes without saying that the gameday preparation required by an NFL player include tons of physical practice. But what many may not know is that players also spend quite a bit of time reviewing film and discussing plays. And the kind of room this takes place in resembles, well, classrooms, which are classified by a player's position. For example...


Keep Out
The weight room was inhabited by players when I was nosing around taking photos, and what remains of the facility, such as the locker room and personnel offices, well, they are point blank off limits. 

No exceptions. 

Not even for an NFL wife.


4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the interesting info and the great pics! :)

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    1. Thanks, Lexa! This post required a bit of sneakiness.;-)

      Thank you for commenting!

      xo

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  2. How cool! I never really thought about the need for an indoor training field. Seems obvious, but...duh. Thanks for sharing a behind-the-scenes I would never have the chance to see!

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    1. Thanks, Heather! Nice to hear from you! Yeah, an indoor practice facility is an absolute must in these parts -- our winters can be downright brutal. :-(

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