The upgraded facilities at the University of Guelph sealed the deal to bring the Toronto Argonauts to Guelph for its training camp this year.
Argonauts general manager Jim Barker held a press conference Tuesday to discuss the move.
"The new facilities up there are conducive for players and coaches. The fields, the meeting rooms, the facilities ... we just thought it was a great environment to learn and grow as a team," Barker said.
"It's a great facility. Some of the things they've done at their complex is outstanding."
Training camp takes place May 25 to June 18 and is open and free to the public.
An intra-squad game is planned for June 4. The camp involves roughly 120 players, coaches and support staff.
The Argos have held their training camp at York University the past two seasons.
"We really looked everywhere. It came down to York and Guelph and it was very close," Barker said.
He said there were issues with the turf at York University.
"It was really hard on the player's knees over the course of training camp," Barker said.
The turf at Guelph is slightly different, plus the team will spend about one third of the time practicing on a nearby natural grass field on campus.
The Argos currently have three former Guelph Gryphons on their roster: Dan MacDonald, Cam Walker and Guelph native Jake Reinhart. The CFL draft is set for May 10 so there could be even more Gryphons attending training camp.
"It feels like home. My parents live half an hour away (Burlington) and two of my former Gryphon teammates are already on the roster. It's just exciting to know that you can go to work in such familiar surroundings and have so many friends and family close by, too," MacDonald said on the Gryphons web site.
