Los Angeles Rams announce franchise will leave Cal Lutheran and Thousand Oaks next year
It’s now official. The Los Angeles Rams’ Ventura County residence will be coming to a close in the coming months.
The NFL team announced the move of their practice facility to Woodland Hills ahead of the 2024 season on Tuesday afternoon.
The team’s temporary seven-season relationship with Cal Lutheran University and the community of Thousand Oaks is officially coming to an end.
In March 2016, the deal with CLU was first revealed as a two-year plan, helping the then-St. Louis Rams return home to Southern California after more than 20 years in Missouri.
It was extended on a year-to-year basis through the current NFL season, which means Thousand Oaks was home to the team through runs to the Super Bowl in 2019 and 2022.
Rams head coach Sean McVay elected to stay at CLU to prepare for Super Bowl LVI, which helped the team beat Cincinnati 23-20 and deliver its first NFL championship to Los Angeles since 1951. The Rams’ Super Bowl media day was held at CLU’s Rolland Stadium.
The Los Angeles Times first revealed in February 2022 that Rams owner Stan Kroenke was in talks to purchase a former mall. In 2017, 2018, and 2019, the Thousand Oaks City Council made finding a permanent home for the Rams in Thousand Oaks their top priority.
We’ve done everything we can to let the Rams know that they’re welcome here, Thousand Oaks Mayor Bob Engler stated in a previous year’s report.
CLU intends to use the Rams’ North Campus area as part of its sporting facilities after they vacate it.
“We will use the excellent practice fields, parking lot, and infrastructure they built for our future athletic facilities once the organization vacates the space, CLU spokesman Karin Grennan told The Star last year. This has always been the strategy, and it still is.
There are still two professional teams that are associated with Ventura County. The National Women’s Soccer League’s Angel City FC continues to call CLU home. The Dallas Cowboys use River Ridge Fields in Oxnard as their training facility.
“This is a monumental day for the Los Angeles Rams, as we can now call Woodland Hills and the city of Los Angeles our home, said Rams Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff.
Since bringing the Rams home to Los Angeles, Stan Kroenke’s commitment to this region is unmatched, and we are excited to expand our footprint and deepen our impact across the city.
The Rams will build a permanent home at the corner of West Oxnard Street and Canoga Avenue in Woodland Hills as part of their 100-acre Warner Center 2035 plan.
The Rams intend to establish a temporary facility at their new location 20 miles east while the building is underway. This facility will resemble the modular-based structure they previously had at CLU because the permanent facility won’t be ready for the upcoming football season.
The team’s permanent headquarters and practice facility, as well as commercial, retail, and residential spaces, will eventually be located on this property.on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
