Jaguars' gift to fans: Miller Electric Center offering comfortable views of training camp

It’s practice but it’s still football this summer at the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Miller Electric Center.

And for Jags fans, there are no winners or losers. Regardless of who stands out on offense or defense, the playmaker has the Jags logo on his helmet.

“The guys feed off of that,” said Jaguars coach Doug Pederson. “It brings a lot of energy to practice.”

The completion of the Miller Center, which offers important resources to the team as far as practice space, strength and conditioning and nutrition, also came with Jaguars fans in mind: bleachers behind the end zones of the two outdoor practice fields that can hold up to 2,090 spectators.

The Jaguars then opened 12 training camp practices to the fans (with one scheduled at EverBank Stadium on Aug. 5), nearly double the number in 2021.

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Only a select few fans could watch practices last year at the Episcopal School’s Knight Campus, a move necessitated by the construction of the Miller Center.

The wait appears to have been worth it, for both the team and the fans.

And with the opening of the $120 million facility, the Jaguars have made sure to welcome them with the same pride as new homeowners would at a housewarming party.

A family experience

“This is just amazing,” said Ashley Walker of St. Johns, who came to the first practice on July 26 with her 7-year-old son Blake, who was sporting his new Travon Walker jersey. “And almost everyone is taking their kids here. They’ve made this an unbelievable family experience.”

Training camp practices in the past involved sitting out in the unrelenting July and August sun, on metal bleachers, with no overhead covering. The fans came but the ones who stayed from the start to the finish of a practice were warriors indeed.

At the Miller Center, every seat is a chairback and is protected by shade. Huge overhead fans keep a constant breeze going (it can even be felt standing in the end zones of the field) and there are permanent restrooms, concession and merchandise areas.

“When we came out here in the past, there wouldn’t be a cloud in the sky and everyone was baking,” said Steve Burtner of Jacksonville, who came with his 4-year-old son Mason. “This is a much better experience.

And unlike the regular season, admission and parking are free, as long as fans pre-register.

Signing day, every day

The Jaguars are also setting up autograph opportunities for 100 fans each day training camp is open. The fans are randomly selected in the bleachers by team staff members and the team is bringing out a different position group each day to sit at tables in a shaded area to sign, pose for selfies and enjoy brief conversations with the fans.

The Jags faithful got a treat after the first practice: the position group selected included quarterbacks, which meant Trevor Lawrence ran the risk of writer’s cramp.

He didn’t mind a bit.

“We’ve got the best facility in the NFL, the best fans in the NFL … it’s cool to have,” Lawrence said. “To be able to share that with the city and to have fans here ... I mean we’re going to have people here pretty much every day, so we’re putting it to good use.”

Pederson said it’s the least the team can do.

“It’s a way for us to give back to them because they support us, they come watch us in the hard times and the good times,” he said.

Fans didn’t fill every seat (including the large section in the middle reserved for player and team family and friends) for the first three training camp sessions but there are certainly more coming to practice than in 2021 at the old fields.

The buzz in the bleachers is that capacity could be reached on Aug. 1 when the Jaguars have their first padded practice of the preseason.

Enthusiasm is infectious

But regardless of which day they’ve come, the fans have been vocal, cheering good plays and unleashing the team’s “Duuuvaalll!” cry before practice begins and several other times during the sessions.

More than anything, the return of Jaguars fans to training camp practices means more excitement about the 2023 season. They can see the stars do what they do, see rookies refine their raw skills to the pro game, root for underdog free agents to live the dream and make their own evaluations of what the team will look like come Sept. 10 when they open the season at Indianapolis.

“We came to see Calvin Ridley,” said Todd Shields of Jacksonville, with his 9-year-old daughter Haile and his 13-year-old nephew Matthew, who was visiting from El Paso, Texas. “And we all wanted to see Trevor play and see how much he’s progressed.”

Ridley didn't disappoint on the first day, making two acrobatic catches to the delight of the fans.

Pederson said inviting fans has the potential of improving practice performance.

“It’s the enthusiasm of playing in front of your home fans,” he said. “The fact that we have a beautiful stadium out here to host 2,500 or so fans … sometimes, it’s better than blaring the music all day long. It’s a great place to come and bring families. I enjoy having them out there.”

Lawrence said hearing “Duuuvalll!” and fans cheering even during drills is a good way to get through a grueling training camp.

“It was pretty cool,” he said. “I know everybody is excited. They’re pumped for this year [and] we are too. There’s a lot of energy and we’re just trying to channel it all the right to take advantage of our opportunity. It’s exciting, and this is an awesome place.”

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars fans flock to training camp practice at Miller Electric Center