When training camp opens on July 29, the Redskins will practice on their own fields, change in their own locker room, work in front of the local fans. Which puts the team in the same stead as more than half of the league. Seventeen of the 32 clubs now stay put, a distinct change from even the recent past.

According to the NFL, 26 of 31 traveled to a college campus for camp in 2001. The Green Bay Packers practice across the street from Lambeau Field but they call St. Norbert College in nearby DePere their home … and have for 53 years, the longest continuous streak in the league. The players sleep and eat at the college but the work on the field and in the meeting rooms remains in Green Bay. The Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for second with 44 years at their summer homes in Mankato, Minn., and Latrobe, Pa., respectively.

Gone is the legendary ‘Cheese League,’ cherished in the 1980s and ‘90s by your NFL correspondents. At one time, the Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars all trained in Wisconsin, with the Vikings not far away from the western Wisconsin border. The tour of camps marched through such burgs as Platteville, Stevens Point, La Crosse and River Falls. Only the Packers and Vikings remain in their ancestral lodgings and they were, of course, in those places well before the influx. The other teams returned to their home states as part of deals to refurbish stadiums or build training facilities.

The Chiefs, long denizens of River Falls (about 30 miles east of Minneapolis), will now train at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. The Saints moved to La Crosse after years of training in the heat of Hammond, La. Then they moved to Jackson, Miss., back into the heat. Last year they stayed at their facility in Metairie and, of course, went on to win the Super Bowl.

“Training camp is a very physically and mentally draining period of time for the players and by being able to utilize our facilities, we feel like it’s the best decision that we can make for our team,” says general manager Mickey Loomis. Also a good one for the fans, who can come out and watch practice.

Which leads to the inevitable segue: Make sure you get your Redskins’ training camp invitation at www.redskins.com. Fifteen open practices await in the heart of Loudoun County. The home team is staying home.