Everything you need to know about going to Vikings training camp
How do you buy tickets? What time is practice? What food is allowed? When are players signing autographs? Can you bring a selfie stick? We have the answers to these questions, and more.
July 25, 2023 at 12:17AM
Rookies, quarterbacks and injured players — a total of 37 people — reported to the team's training facility in Eagan on Sunday. The remaining players are expected to report on Tuesday. The Vikings' first full-team practice will be Wednesday.
Is there any chance a player (like, say, Danielle Hunter) won't report?
The edge rusher is in the final season of a five-year, $72 million contract that his camp has voiced displeasure with since 2020. A pair of season-ending injuries in 2020 and 2021 stripped away Hunter's leverage as he sought to become one of the league's highest-paid pass rushers, and though he posted 10 ½ sacks in his shift from defensive end to edge rusher last season, he didn't deliver the kind of performance that might have made a blockbuster deal automatic.
Hunter has a base salary of $4.9 million for the coming season, and the Vikings weren't surprised to see him skip their mandatory minicamp in June. If he was to hold out from the beginning of training camp, he'd be fined $50,000 for each day he misses. But if Hunter's camp sees a holdout as a hard-line strategy that could land a new deal — either from the Vikings or from a team that might trade for him — it could view the fines as the cost of doing business.
When can fans first go to practice?
Saturday. The first padded practice will be Monday, while the players' first session in full pads will be Aug. 1. Fourteen practices will be open to fans through Aug. 24, including two night practices on Aug. 3 and 8. Find the full schedule here.
Will there be joint practices with another team like in years past?
Yes. In fact, there are several. Last year, the Vikings hosted joint practices with the 49ers. This year, the Vikings will practice with both the Titans and the Cardinals, who are coming to the Twin Cities for preseason games. The Vikings will host the Titans on Aug. 16 and 17 ahead of the teams' Aug. 19 game at U.S. Bank Stadium. The following week, the Cardinals will come to town for practices Aug. 23 and 24 and the Vikings' preseason finale Aug. 26.
How do I get tickets?
Tickets for all training camp practices must be reserved in advance via Ticketmaster. Up to 4,000 tickets will be available most days, with 7,000 available for the night practices at TCO Stadium. There will be a small number of tickets available on-site each day.
How much are tickets?
Tickets for the eight regular practices and two joint practices are $5 for adults and free for season-ticket holders and children 17 or younger. Tickets for the two night practices are $10 for adults and $5 for children, though kids under 36 inches tall will be admitted for free. There are limits on the number of free tickets season-ticket holders can reserve (up to four for a maximum of two days), but there's no limit on paid digital tickets.
What time are practices?
TCO Performance Center will typically open at noon each day with a walk-through at 12:45 p.m. and practice at 2:30 p.m. Practice on Aug. 12 will be slightly later after the team returns from its preseason opener in Seattle, with gates opening at 1:30 p.m. and practice starting at 3:15 p.m. For the night events, gates open at 5 p.m., and practice begins at 7 p.m. Times for the joint practices with the Titans and Cardinals are to be announced.
How can kids get autographs?
The Vikings are using a new system for the autograph zone this year, with the first 750 children 17 and under each day receiving a scratch-off ticket that will reveal which player's autograph they will get during the signing session after practice. Posed photos with players in the autograph zone are not allowed. There are also daily meet and greets with Vikings legends at 12:30 p.m.
The autograph schedule is below and subject to change.
July 29: Tight ends
July 31: Running backs
Aug. 1: Outside linebackers
Aug. 3: None
Aug. 5: Safeties
Aug. 6: Wide receivers
Aug. 7: Quarterbacks and special teams
Aug. 8: None
Aug. 12: Inside linebackers
Aug. 13: Defensive line
Aug. 16: Offensive line
Aug. 17: Cornerbacks
Aug. 23: Offensive line
Aug. 24: None
Where do fans park?
Fans driving to TCO Performance Center will be directed to the Northland Ford Dealers parking lot. Parking passes can be bought in advance online for $10. If you pay on-site, parking is $20.
What can fans bring?
Outside food and drink and coolers are not allowed, except for water bottles (but not metal or glass ones) and medical necessities. Fans are allowed to bring bags, except for briefcases, computer bags and luggage. Just don't bring cash. Concession stands and merchandise booths do not accept cash payments. Also among the prohibited items are chairs, umbrellas, selfie sticks, banners and flags. A full list of prohibited items is here.
What is the Vikings' preseason schedule?
Thursday, Aug. 10: at Seattle, 9 p.m., Ch, 9/NFL Network
Saturday, Aug. 19: vs. Tennessee, 7 p.m., Ch. 9
Saturday, Aug. 26: vs. Arizona, noon, Ch. 9
When does the NFL season start?
The opening game of the 2023 season between the champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions is Thursday, Sept. 7, in Kansas City, Mo. The Vikings open Sunday, Sept. 10, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at U.S. Bank Stadium at noon, a game that will be televised on Ch. 4.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
