THE Los Angeles Chargers have unveiled their impressive new $270 million HQ – which includes a unique helmet-shaped pizza oven.
Known as ‘Bolt,’ the NFL’s state-of-the-art facility spans 150,000 square feet and includes three full-sized grass practice fields.
The new building comes with the arrival of new general manager Joe Hoertiz and head coach Jim Harbaugh in the offseason.
It has been more than three years in development.
Located in El Segundo, California, the entrance features the Chargers’ version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Each team Hall of Famer is honored with their own mosaic and brass inlays.
It was designed by the same company that installs displays on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“It’s a small way to say ‘thank you’ to the greats who have played for our team over the past 60-plus years,” said Chargers owner Dean Spanos.
“It’s the first thing you see when you walk into this building that really, to me, says this is the foundation of our team.”
The giant atrium at the entrance is highlighted by a three-story Samsung ISC indoor LED video wall.
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Meanwhile, the ground floor includes a large locker room, equipment room, medical and training space, weight room, hydrotherapy room, recovery room, sauna and steam room.
The locker room is almost twice the size of the team’s old space.
There’s also a barber area, multiplayer lounges, an Olympic/rehabilitation pool, and an outdoor lounge with a grill, fire pit, and outdoor TV in full sun.
The second floor houses a large dining room and kitchen created in partnership with Wolfgang Puck Catering.
It notably features a pizza oven designed to look like a Chargers helmet.
Additionally, there are carvery, smoothie and coffee bars, pasta station, grill station, stand-alone salad bar, and daily rotating global fare station.
The new dining space comes with the Chargers being ranked 31st out of 32 NFL teams in food/cafeteria in an NFLPA survey.
The Chargers also received low rankings in several categories, including training room (30th), weight room (29th) and locker room (27th).
“Well, I paid a lot of attention to that,” said Chargers chief of staff Fred Maas. told ESPN about the research.
“We also knew that we were limited by the building we were trapped in and the circumstances we were trapped in.
“And we have always wanted to build a world-class facility, regardless of rankings.
“Frankly, I was surprised we did so well. We were in 31st place out of 32 teams.
“So it’s not surprising given the circumstances.”
The top floor features a soon-to-be-completed members-only private club with panoramic balcony overlooking the outdoors, lounge, dining area and private dining room.
It also serves as the hub for all executive and commercial staff offices.
“I haven’t been this excited in a long time,” Spanos added.
“This took a lot of time and a lot of hard work, and I feel fortunate that our staff, players and fans will be able to build on this for years to come.”
The Bolt will open its doors to the public from July 13th to 14th.
The Chargers expect the facility to be used at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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