Colts.com has the official statement of the team posted online, stating that Anderson University in Anderson, IN will host the 2010 training camp for the Indianapolis Colts:
"We are pleased to announce a return to Anderson University for the 2010 training camp. The university and the city of Anderson always have held a passion for the Colts, and we are happy to return to the area," said Colts President Bill Polian. "We know this has been a successful summer home for our organization for many years, and we are excited to return. We know people are aware that training camp provides the best possible chance to get close proximity to a team, and we want people to use that opportunity."
It's nice for Polian to immediately address a concern of many fans with the venue move. The Rose-Hulman Institute in Terre Haute, IN, where training was held from 1999-2009, offered fans tremendous access to the team and the players. I attended several camps at Rose-Hulman, and every experience was a pleasant one.
Hopefully, Anderson University will offer a similar experience.
Quite frankly, the Colts need the venue change to offer an even better experience for fans over Rose-Hulman. The franchise still has some fence-mending to do with the fanbase due in large part to the events that occurred during Week Sixteen of last season. Bill Polian can utter "Past is prologue" until he is blue in the face, but, for many of his customers, the bitterness of the decision to rest starters in an important game for the fanbase, and the rude immaturity of the team's brass in the face of criticism over that decision, still lingers. While I personally am not boiling over the events that happened during Week Sixteen of last season, I know many other Colts fans who still feel betrayed.
However, to the Colts credit, they seem to be doing some good things to help repair the rift. Offering special events like like the open practice at Lucas Oil Stadium this Saturday is one such way they are reaching out to fans. The open practice is a tremendous idea, and whoever thought it up should be encouraged to offer more. More access to the team, and a more open environment at West 56th Street, would go a long way to fixing things.