It’s been 13 years since the Lions have held training camp away from the Detroit area. 

For a few years, they camped out at Saginaw Valley State University which seemed to be a hit with the fans. Since then they have stuck close to home at Lions headquarters and practice facility in Allen Park.

Three reasons they will be in Allen Park for training camp starting on July 28:

1. That’s where coach Jim Caldwell wants to hold camp. When he was with the Indianapolis Colts, they held camp at nearby Anderson, Ind. (Not a hit with the local media.) But he said in June after Lions’ minicamp that he wants to keep it at the practice facility in Allen Park.

2. When teams hold camp away from home, they say it forces the guys to be together and think football 24 hours a day. Caldwell said there’s enough veterans on the team to help him keep everyone focused. During camp the players all stay at a nearby hotel.

3. It’s just easier and cheaper to keep it at the facility in Allen Park which has an outdoor field big enough to hold two football fields and an indoor field too.

(Training camp opens July 28 with eight of the sessions open to the general public starting on Aug. 1.)

(Follow @PaulaPasche on Twitter. Order her book,  “100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die’’ here. It’s also available at bookstores.)