In the National Football League, training camp refers to the time before the season commences. During this time, teams will sometimes congregate at an outside location, usually a university, to conduct training camp for at least the first few weeks. This is similar to baseball's spring training.
Training camp is used in several different ways. New players and coaches use it to acclimate themselves to new teammates, new systems, and weather since training camps begin in the hot days of summer. Young players use the time to prove that they can become starters. Veterans use the time to prove they can still handle the workload.
Training camp is divided into several different components. The first is scrimmages. These are pseudo-games where teams run nearly full games' worth of plays. Sometimes, two practice sessions are held on the same day. This concept is referred to as two-a-days. Other parts of training camp include drills, meetings with coaches and other players at one's position, weight training, and pre-season games.
The latter half of training camp leads directly into the exhibition season.
With NFL training camps starting in late-July, the biggest concern has been dehydration. In 2001, Minnesota Vikings player Korey Stringer died from medical condition based from dehydration and heatstroke. The death of Stringer, prompted the NFL to change their training policies. At each practice, every team must have the team doctor and trainers on the field, also an ambulance must be present during practices. Many players are encouraged to drink lots of water and fluids.
Weather can play havoc with training camp too. With NFL training camps beginning in late-July, severe weather can affect practice and exhibition games. In 2002, a Cleveland Browns exhibition game ended due to lightning near Cleveland Browns Stadium and severe storms have been known to disrupt training camps of some of the Southern teams. Weather can affect the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game too.
Fans are often able to visit their favorite team's training camp to catch an early look at the players; admission to practices is often free or substantially less expensive than a game ticket, making training camp trips a popular option for fans who cannot attend many games due to financial or other reasons. NFL teams often sell souvenirs and concessions at camp sites along with offering activities and events to make training camp a more fan-friendly experience.
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Recently the NFL has let teams have off-season training sessions, officially called Organized Team Activities (OTA's). Many teams use the OTA's to help develop players and make them better. These training sessions are in late April, early May. The OTA's are the only practices between the end of the previous season and the start of training camp. New players to the NFL attend seminars and lectures organized by the NFL from mid-June to mid-July. For veteran players, they use the off-time to sponsor football camps for children, golf outings for charity, or even some family time.
Unlike Major League Baseball spring training, where teams congregate at locations in two states, NFL teams train all over the United States. An increasing number of teams do so in the same facilities at which they practice all year long - 16 teams in 2008. Most of these teams departed distant locations to "come home" for training camp. For example, the Lions' camp was long held at Saginaw Valley State College, the Broncos trained at the University of Northern Colorado, and the Redskins moved in from Dickinson College, the former site of Carlisle Indian School.
However, it is still fairly common for teams to use somewhat distant locations at the fringes of their markets to promote their team. For instance, the Buffalo Bills moved their training camp from SUNY Fredonia in Fredonia, New York to Saint John Fisher College in suburban Rochester to better capitalize on the Rochester market. Similarly, the New York Jets moved their training camp from Long Island to SUNY Cortland in Cortland, New York. The other New York team, the New York Giants, have held their training camp in Albany for many years.
Another difference between spring training and training camp is that true intra-squad games do not take place (anymore), though informal scrimmages are very common. Split-squad games never happen in the NFL. It is also fairly common to see two teams hold a short joint camp and scrimmage at a neutral site in addition to their main camp.