The Dallas Cowboys will return to Oxnard, California to open their 62nd training camp on July 21st at the Residence Inn at River Ridge, 2101 West Vineyard Avenue. The 2021 camp, presented by American Airlines, will mark the 42nd year that the team has trained in Southern California and the 15th season that the club has spent all, or a portion of, its camp at the Oxnard location.
Fans will be able to attend all practice sessions that are open to the public, beginning with the first workout at 11:00 a.m. (Pacific time) on Thursday, July 22nd. The annual camp opening ceremony will take place on Saturday, July 24th at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific) followed by an 11:00 a.m. practice session.
Highlighting this year's camp will be a trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio on Thursday night August 5th for a meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers that will be broadcast nationally by FOX at 7:00 p.m. (Central time). Following that game, the team will return to California and conduct a joint practice session with the Los Angeles Rams at the River Ridge Fields in Oxnard on Saturday, August 7th. The practice with the Rams will be televised live on the Dallas Cowboys Television Network, as well as national coverage on the NFL Network, and streamed live on Dallascowboys.com (practice and broadcast times to be released later).
"We're looking forward to getting back to training camp in Oxnard and getting back to normal," said Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones. "I view the team's return to Oxnard as a very positive sign that the Cowboys and the NFL are moving one big step closer toward the traditional camp, preseason and regular season experience that we have been accustomed to for generations, and that includes everything from the players, the fans at practice, the media, and, of course, the great weather in Southern California."
"We learned last year that the absence of NFL preseason games, and the training camps being closed to the public, were things that our fans really missed as part of the ramp up period heading into the regular season. We believe our approach to this year's camp and preseason will help us provide a safely managed return to the July and August weeks that have been such an important part of our country's football culture for decades. This time of team-building and preparation will serve as a strong foundation for a successful 2021 season for all 32 of the NFL clubs—and most importantly the fans of all of those teams."
Additional details regarding fan attendance, safety protocols and parking at Cowboys practices in Oxnard will be announced at a later time.
Camp in Oxnard is set to conclude on Thursday August 12th, and the team will return to Texas after a preseason game between the Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Arizona on Friday, August 13th at 9:00 p.m. (Central time). Following the game with Arizona, the final portion of camp will be held at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, with selected practices open to the public.
NFL COVID-19 restrictions regulated that the team hold its entire 2020 training camp at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, ending a streak of eight consecutive years (2012-19) of training in Oxnard. In 2019, the Cowboys practiced in front of 35,596 fans during their stay in California.
The Cowboys history of conducting camp in California dates back to a 27-year run in Thousand Oaks from 1963 to 1989. The 2001 preseason marked the first time a Dallas team used the Oxnard location.
2021 Dallas Cowboys Training Camp Key Dates
- Tues., July 20: Team Charter arrives in Oxnard
- Wed., July 21: Opening press conference (10:00 a.m. PDT)
- Thurs., July 22: First practice (11:00 a.m. PDT) *closed to public
- Sat., July 24: Opening Ceremony (TBD)
- Wed., Aug. 4: Depart for Canton, Ohio
- Thurs., Aug. 5: Dallas vs. Pittsburgh (7:00 p.m. CDT in Canton, Ohio)
- Sat. Aug. 7: Joint Practice with the LA Rams (time TBA)
- Thurs., Aug. 12: Break camp in Oxnard - travel to Phoenix, Ari.
- Fri., Aug. 13: Dallas at Arizona (9:00 p.m. CDT)
- Sat., Aug. 21: Dallas vs. Houston (7:00 p.m. CDT) AT&T Stadium
- Sun., Aug. 29: Dallas vs. Jacksonville (12:00 p.m. CDT) AT&T Stadium
