The Philadelphia 76ers may be the last winless team in The Association, but that hasn't stopped them from kickin' around all kinds of ideas for their planned training facility across the Delaware River in Camden. Remember, it's all about the future in Sixer-land. Presenting in front of the Southern New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, Sixers CRO Christopher Heck unleashed his veritable t-shirt cannon and shot off a quote that should get the fans going: "We don't expect this to be a cookie-cutter training facility. We expect it to be the best in the world."
According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, Heck said that the Sixers plan (which is fluid at this point) to create a "campus" in Camden to accommodate their growing staff as well as 50 new jobs. Here's the meat of the idea so far:
"Heck said the Camden campus will have "multiple buildings each with multiple floors, several basketball courts, state-of-the-art offices, training facilities and a cafeteria."
The facility is expected to cost $82M, in the form of a grant from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority spread over ten years, to construct. The Sixers are looking to break ground on the project sometime this winter. It will be located behind the Susquehanna Bank Center/Wiggins Park on a 4-acre parcel on the corner of Martin Luther King Blvd. and Delaware Ave., . Mayor Nutter didn't seem all to chuffed to be partly losing the Sixers to Camden, especially due to the large grant. He told the AP in June, "If you have tens of millions of dollars that are being thrown at you just to entice you to do something, that's a business decision that someone has to make." It was rumored that the Sixers were looking to open a similar facility in The Navy Yard.
Heck also mentioned the potential for open practices at the new campus for fans to attend. The project is expected to be completed by summer 2016. Sad to partly lose the Sixers to Camden? This video of their virtually-exploding court should cheer you up.
· 76ers want Camden HQ to look like a campus [Philadelphia Business Journal]
· 76ers to Build 'World Class' Practice Facility in Camden [Curbed Philly]