SHARE Chris Kimball KAREN QUINCY LOBERG/THE STAR Aron Gonzalez (left) and Randy Troy were some of the Rams fans who came to watch their team train with the Cowboys for a few days in Oxnard last August. The Rams could return to the county — maybe at Cal Lutheran — for their training camp now that they are headed back to Los Angeles. KAREN QUINCY LOBERG/THE STAR There were plenty of Rams fans who came to Oxnard last August to watch their team train with the Cowboys. Ventura County could possibly be the home to the team’s training camp this summer.

By Rhiannon Potkey of the Ventura County Star

The newly relocated Los Angeles Rams are in the market for a training camp site, and California Lutheran University is ready to roll out the welcome mat.

Although the Rams have not contacted CLU about training at the Thousand Oaks campus, school officials are eager to discuss a possible partnership.

"I have no idea if they are interested or not, but we are going to reach out to see if they are," CLU President Chris Kimball said. "I would like to think that Ventura County has a lot to offer and we have some pieces in place for them to try and make it work here."

The NFL granted the Rams permission to return to Los Angeles on Tuesday after a vote by the team owners.

The Rams are building a new state-of-the-art stadium in Inglewood, but it's not scheduled to be completed until the 2019 season.

In the meantime, the organization is scrambling to find a home base for their team operations and a training facility.

During their first stint in Los Angeles, the Rams trained at various college locations throughout Southern California, including CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach, UC Irvine, Compton College, Loyola College, University of Redlands and Chapman College.

Last August, the Rams trained in Oxnard with the Dallas Cowboys for two days. The team stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village and held walk-throughs at nearby Oaks Christian School.

The Rams coaches commented to Oaks Christian staff members about how much they enjoyed the proximity of the school's fields to the Four Seasons Hotel.

But school officials have questioned whether Oaks Christian has sufficient facilities and space to host an NFL team on a longer basis.

While the Cowboys have a contract to hold their training camp in Oxnard through 2017, Oxnard assistant city manager Scott Whitney has had preliminary discussions with Rams officials about the team holding its mini camp and OTAs (organized team activities) at the River Ridge fields.

"They expressed some interest in practicing here in the spring and into summer, and would leave before the Cowboys arrive," Whitney said. "It would be on a much smaller scale than what the Cowboys do but it would be for longer (several months).

"Since they only got approval to move a few days ago, it's a wait-and-see right now. If they do decide to come, then I think things would move pretty fast."

If the Rams wanted to remain in the Thousand Oaks area, CLU could be the most logical option.

The NCAA Division III college has a history of hosting NFL training camps, with the Cowboys having trained there from 1963 to 1989.

In the last decade, CLU has made significant upgrades to its athletic facilities that would be more conducive to accommodating a modern NFL operation.

CLU's William Rolland Stadium was completed in 2011. The 16,000-square foot stadium has an all-weather turf field and outdoor sports lighting.

The Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center opened in 2006. The 96,000-square-foot facility includes a weight room, an athletic training room and multiple locker rooms.

"I am speculating here, but my sense is if there is a field space issue we have room to add grass fields if we need to," Kimball said. "But I think the other factor is the quick, easy access to an upscale hotel. We don't have that close by. Our newest dorms are pretty nice. They are not the Four Seasons, but they all have their own bathrooms and everything like that. We would just love the chance to make a pitch to them because it would be great to get them."

Staff writers Loren Ledin and Bob Buttitta contributed to this story.