Andy Lyons | Getty Images
INDIANAPOLIS – After Thursday, the next time the Indianapolis Colts get on the practice field, fans will be able to watch their favorite team.
That day will be July 26, when the Colts hold their first Training Camp practice. This year’s camp will take place at Grand Park in Westfield (an Indianapolis’ suburb just north of the city). All practices will be open to the public.
After camp move-in day on Wednesday, July 25, the Colts will then begin their practice schedule on Thursday the 26th.
If Andrew Luck is indeed on the practice field that day, it will mark his first time practicing in a full team setting since December 2016.
The Colts will have 18 total practices for camp this year, with 3 of those coming at night (7/29-Sunday, 8/3-Friday and 8/14-Tuesday).
During the first week of camp, the Colts will have afternoon practices July 26-28, running from 1:30-4:00 p.m.
After a night practice on July 29, the Colts will return to practices on July 31 and have morning practices the next 3 days (from 9-11 a.m.)
They will have a second night practice on August 3, before picking up with morning practices on Sunday, August 5. Morning practices will take place on the 5th, 6th and 7th before the team heads to Seattle for their preseason opener.
Important Camp Dates
-July 25th: Move-in day
-July 26th: First practice (1:30-4:00 p.m.)
-August 9th: Preseason opener @Seattle (10:00 p.m. ET)
-August 17-18: Joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens
-August 20th: Preseason home opener vs. Baltimore (8:00 p.m. ET)
Below is the full camp schedule from the Colts:
• Wednesday, July 25: Camp Kickoff
• Thursday, July 26: Colts City open noon-4 p.m.; practice 1:30-3:30 p.m.
• Friday, July 27: Colts City open noon- 4 p.m.; practice 1:30-3:30 p.m.
• Saturday, July 28: Colts City open noon-4 p.m.; practice 1:30-3:30 p.m. | Kids Day, presented by Riley Children’s Health, featuring specially-priced kids’ meals, the Front Row Autograph Zone for kids-only autographs, balloon artists, face painting, rock wall climbing and other fun activities.
• Sunday, July 29: Colts City open 5-9 p.m.; practice 7-9:15 p.m. | BBQ Bash Night Practice featuring special BBQ meal at concessions, live music, a performance by the Colts Cheerleaders and a full-squad autograph signing.
• Monday, July 30: Day off
• Tuesday, July 31: Colts City open 8 a.m.-noon; practice 9-11 a.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 1: Colts City open 8 a.m.-noon; practice 9-11 a.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 2: Colts City open 8 a.m.-noon; practice 9-11 a.m. | Sunrise Yoga,featuring a free, on-field yoga class led by Indy Yoga Movement prior to morning practice. Attendees are encouraged to stay and watch football practice following yoga.
• Friday, Aug. 3: Colts City open 5-9 p.m.; practice 7-9:15 p.m. | “Friday Night Lights,”during which youth and high school teams will be invited to camp.
• Saturday, Aug. 4: Day off
• Sunday, Aug. 5: Colts City open 8 a.m.-noon; practice 9-11 a.m. | Community Day,during which local nonprofits and players’ causes will be celebrated.
• Monday, Aug. 6: Colts City open 8 a.m.-noon; practice 9-11 a.m.
• Tuesday, Aug. 7: Colts City open 8 a.m.-noon; practice 9-11 a.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 8: Closed
• Thursday, Aug. 9: Preseason Game No. 1; Colts at Seahawks (10 p.m. ET)
• Friday, Aug. 10: Day off
• Saturday, Aug. 11: Colts City open 2-5 p.m.; practice 3:40-5:20 p.m. | Armed Forces Day, featuring VIP suites for pre-selected military groups, autograph session, and military displays in Colts City.
• Sunday, Aug. 12: Colts City open 8 a.m.-noon; practice 9-11 a.m.
• Monday, Aug. 13: Colts City open 8 a.m.-noon; practice 9-11 a.m.
• Tuesday, Aug. 14: Colts City open 5-9 p.m.; practice 7-9:15 p.m. | Final Night Practice
• Wednesday, Aug. 15: Day off
• Thursday, Aug. 16: Colts City open noon-4 p.m.; practice 1:30-3:15 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 17: Colts City open noon-4 p.m.; practice 1:30-3:30 p.m. | Joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens
• Saturday, Aug. 18: Colts City open noon-4 p.m; practice 1:30-3:30 p.m. | Joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens | Bike To Camp Day, on which fans will be encouraged to ride bicycles to camp using the Monon Trail greenway.
In September 2017, the Colts and Grand Park announced a 10-year partnership as the official host of Training Camp.
Grand Park opened up in 2016 and is a 400-acre sports campus with 26 baseball/softball diamonds and more than other fields for football, soccer and lacrosse. Future plans are in place for a hotel and other residential/commercial space.
Moving camp just north of Indy provides the Colts a central Indiana location, which should attract a strong number of fans (something that was dwindling in Anderson), while giving the football side of things a state of the art facility for having camp away from their own facility.
After deciding to have camp at home in 2017, the Colts will return off-site, which they’ve done every other year since moving to Indianapolis in 1984.
“Holding training camp at Grand Park will give our team a chance to practice at a top notch facility in addition to giving us the chance to connect with our fans as we prepare for the season,” Chris Ballard said last year when the team announced their new camp plans. “The venue is located in ideal proximity to our fan base and we feel this is an advantageous move for the Indianapolis Colts.”
“We are very excited to begin a long-term partnership with Grand Park as the home of our summer training camp,” said Colts Chief Operating Officer Pete Ward. “It’s a world-class facility that is both football and fan friendly—the best of both worlds—and it will once again give our fans the opportunity to interact with our players each summer.”
The Colts will continue to have a Colts City for fans, with this year’s fan experience expanding to more than 70,000 square feet.
