A mini-camp, also spelled minicamp, is a short camp held by
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) and
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
(CFL) teams usually in spring of each year. The camp usually only lasts 3 days, but the length varies by a day or two depending on the head coach's preference. Mini-camps are geared toward getting the newly drafted rookies acclimated to the NFL playing schemes. It also gives coaches and team administrators the chance to see their new players in action learning plays from their new team's playbook. Several veteran players of each team will also attend mini-camp to refresh their skills and get acquainted with the new players coming in. Attendance requirements for mini-camp are entirely up to each individual head coach. Some head coaches push for all of the players to be there, while others ask for just the rookies and younger players to attend. The drills and plays run at camp are conducted in shorts and T-shirts or jerseys. They are not "full contact" drills.
NFL mini-camps should not be confused with other football camps, for example those for youths.
CFL
In the CFL, these camps are also referred to as rookie or free-agent camps. The Canadian league began holding them in 2010, when a new collective-bargaining agreement with its player association permitted teams to hold voluntary, non-contact, off-season workouts for up to three days, starting February 1. In 2017, CFL mini-camps were held from mid-April through mid-May in Florida.
See also
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National Football League Training Camp
In the National Football League, training camp refers to the time before the season commences. During this time, teams sometimes congregate at an outside location, usually a university, to conduct training camp for at least the first few weeks. ...
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NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...
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CFL Combine
The CFL Combine (formerly known as the Evaluation Camp or E-Camp) is a three-day program in which athletes from Canadian universities and Canadians in the NCAA are scouted by general managers, coaches and scouts of the Canadian Football League (C ...
References
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External links
Len Pasquarelli Article on ESPN.com2010 mini-camp Schedule
National Football League
Canadian Football League