Vikes New Practice Facility to Land in Eagan

Winter Park has been the headquarters of the Vikings for over 30 years, but the Eden Prairie complex may soon have a replacement. The Vikings announced their agreement to purchase a 185-acre complex in Eagan that formerly housed Northwest Airlines that would potentially become the new home of the Vikings away from U.S. Bank Stadium. The 34-year-old facility in Eden Prairie has become too small to handle the needs of a professional football team. The place is cramped and limited for expansion due to the nature of the buildings as well as Interstate 494 and Minnesota 169 around it.

"As we have previously discussed, the existing Winter Park training facility poses space and flexibility challenges for the Vikings as we continue to grow and evolve,” Vikings chief operating officer Kevin Warren said in a statement.

He also added that the proximity to the airport is a convenient feature of the new purchase. Chanhassen had been one possible site for the team's new headquarters, but this deal allows the Vikings to gain 173 acres over Winter Park's 12 acre campus. The new site was mostly vacant since Northwest Airlines was purchased by Delta (their headquarters are in Atlanta). Some of the vacant land purchased by the team could potentially be developed by the Wilfs for other purposes.   Image Source: Matthew Deery