Richmond authorizes payment to Redskins to keep training camp in city

A payment authorized by the city of Richmond on Wednesday should allow the Washington Redskins to continue to hold their summer training camp away from Redskins Park.

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Richmond Economic Development Authority voted to authorize a $285,538 payment to the Redskins to cover a shortfall owed to the team in exchange for hosting its training camp.

The two parties signed an eight-year agreement in 2013 that would permit the Redskins to hold their three-week training session in Richmond. As part of that agreement, however, the Redskins were to be paid $500,000 annually — a sum that was supposed to be drawn primarily from sponsorships.

Revenues from that first training camp in 2013 did not clear that threshold either, leading to a $286,110 shortfall, the newspaper reported. Per terms of the agreement, if the Redskins did not receive the $500,000 payment in any two-year span, they reserved the right to end it at no cost and move training camp elsewhere.

The board voted 5-1 in favor of making the payment, but it will not be able to do so until it receives a check from Bon Secours Health System, the primary sponsor of the Redskins’ training facility, according to the newspaper.

The Redskins intend to continue hosting training camp in Richmond, team president Bruce Allen said on Dec. 31. The move south in 2013 marked the first time the team had held its training camp away from Redskins Park in Ashburn since 2002.

“The environment that we created in Richmond for the fans and for the team is a good environment,” Allen said. “I don’t think you can blame training camp on what happened the last two regular seasons. Yeah, our plan is to be back in Richmond.”