Chargers break ground on new complex in El Segundo
EL SEGUNDO >> As the star quarterback of the Chargers, Justin Herbert has seen his picture used for a lot of team events, but he was still surprised when he noticed his image on the side of the team’s new facility rendering.
“I never imagined myself to be on a side of a facility,” Herbert said Wednesday at the Chargers’ groundbreaking ceremony for the future team headquarters
and training facility. “I thought that was pretty cool. It’s great to be able to share it with (Chargers safety) Derwin (James), Coach (Brandon Staley) and all these guys.”
Herbert, James, Staley and general manager Tom Telesco sat in the first row to watch team owner Dean Spanos officially announce the construction at the 14-acre site in El Segundo, which is slated for completion in the summer of 2024.
“As players, for them to believe in us, and come up with something like this, I feel like it’s only going to help us get that competitive winning edge,” James said.
With a lavish facility on the south of El Segundo Boulevard and east of Pacific Coast Highway on Nash Street, the Chargers are positioned to do plenty of winning in the coming seasons with Herbert and James, two of the best players in the NFL at their respective positions.
To possibly add more good fortune, the Chargers had a Greek orthodox priest conduct a 10-minute sermon before blessing the dirt and the participants who were tasked with shoveling during the groundbreaking ceremony.
“I’m just glad some water hit my head,” Staley jokingly said. “It’s like being at church, you’re hoping it hits you.”
The Chargers’ new home is projected to have a main building that spans nearly 145,000 square feet adjacent to three full-sized football fields where the team will hold practices. The new headquarters is expected to have a roof-top hospitality club, full eSports gaming and content studios, and a 3,100-square foot media center. An additional 3,400-square foot elevated outdoor turf area and two-lane lap pool for player rehabilitation are among the assorted outdoor amenities set for construction. Sonnenblick-Eichner Co. in Beverly Hills announced in March it has arranged $276 million of construction and permanent financing for the facility.
“I really believe within the next two years, what you’re going to see is going to be magnificent,” Spanos said.
The Chargers will join the NBA’s Lakers and the NHL’s Kings as L.A. pro teams with facilities in El Segundo. It puts them less than 3 miles from LAX and 7 miles from SoFi Stadium.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and King president Luc Robitaille were in attendance for the Chargers’ groundbreaking ceremony. Spanos said Buss was one of the first people to congratulate him when the team announced its move to El Segundo.
“Jeanie, give me a little of that luck, will ya,” Spanos said on stage. “Our first two years, I’ll take one, but I know Coach would like two championships.
“Jeanie Buss took my whole family out to dinner,” Spanos later said. “She welcomed us. She’s just a delightful person, and to have a friend like that just a mile away, I can’t tell you what that means to us.”
The future headquarters and facility is the Chargers’ last step into settling in Los Angeles after relocating from San Diego in 2017. They played at the Galaxy’s soccerspecific stadium in Carson for three seasons before becoming co-tenants with the Rams at SoFi Stadium in 2020.
While searching for a location for a permanent facility, the Chargers have had temporary headquarters in Costa Mesa since 2017.
“It’s been five years in the making,” Spanos said. “Finally, we have our home for the future. I’m really happy about it. I know the staff is, our coaches, our family, everybody is really excited about it. This is our home now.”
Herbert, who had an NFLcaliber facility during his time at the University of Oregon, said the headquarters could help attract free agents and retain current players.
“It should be right up there with the best of the best. The Spanos family has invested a lot, and it is up to us as players to go out and deliver,” he said.