The Buffalo Bills announced that the Verizon Wireless Training Camp schedule will kickoff on Saturday, July 25th at the St. John Fisher campus in Pittsford. This marks the 10th year that the Bills will hold their training camp in the Rochester region.
The first two days of camp will be an opportunity for fans to take advantage of two open practices each day (Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26). The first practice is tentatively scheduled for the morning of Saturday, July 25, with another afternoon practice the same day. Sunday, July 26, will also encompass a morning and afternoon practice. Admission tickets are required for each of the four practices on the opening weekend of training camp.
"We have decided to make the first weekend of our upcoming Verizon Wireless Training Camp a ticketed event for the safety of our fans," said Russ Brandon, Buffalo Bills chief operating officer/general manager. "By ticketing these practices we can have a firm grasp on the attendance numbers. Normally, our first set of practices is on a Friday and we see spiked attendance on Saturday. This year, our first practices are on Saturday and Sunday and we want to be proactive with the possibility of attendance at those sessions reaching a point that could pose a safety issue."
The night practice dates are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, July 28, with another on Thursday, July 30th which will also feature the official Bills jersey launch commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the American Football League (AFL). There are four more night practices (Aug. 4th and 6th, Aug. 11th and 13th) with a final night practice slated for August 17th.
The last practice of the Buffalo Bills Verizon Wireless Training Camp is scheduled for Wednesday, August 19th.
Details on when and how to obtain the complimentary opening weekend's training camp tickets and night practice tickets will be made available at a later date. The comprehensive finalized training camp schedule will also be made available in the near future.
"Verizon Wireless is proud to be the title sponsor of the 2009 Verizon Wireless Training Camp and we're excited for the team's 10th Anniversary at St. John Fisher," stated Marquett Smith, president of Verizon Wireless' Upstate New York Region. "The Bills camp is a terrific event for the Rochester community and one of the premier fan experiences in the NFL. We have a great relationship with the Bills and training camp allows us to strengthen our alignment with one of the most well-known and respected brands in Upstate New York."
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 67.2 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 69,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
Founded in 1959, the Buffalo Bills are one of the most storied franchises in the National Football League (NFL). The Bills have won two American Football League (AFL) Championships (1964 - 1965) and won an NFL record four straight AFC Championships (1990 - 1993) that included four trips to the Super Bowl. The Bills are a progressive organization and pride themselves on the regionalization of their team. They hold their training camp in Rochester, NY and were the first NFL team ever to play a home game in Canada with the Bills Toronto Series that began in 2008. As Western New York's top-rated sports and entertainment choice, the Bills annually entertain nearly one million fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium, produce the region's number-one rated sports television programming, have one of the NFL's largest fan clubs with the Bills Backers, and host the most visited team website in Western New York. Under the guidance of newly elected Hall of Fame member and original team founder, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., the Bills will celebrate their 50th Season in 2009. For more Bills information visit buffalobills.com or call (716) 648-1800.
