Ruth Ruiz

SPECIAL TO TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS

VERO BEACH — The Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League will return to Historic Dodgertown April 10-12 for their 2017 spring camp.

This marks the Alouettes' third visit to Historic Dodgertown for their spring workouts, previously coming in 2014 and 2015.

Before the start of the spring camp, the Alouettes will hold a free agent tryout on Saturday.

"We are very happy to be back at the Historic Dodgertown complex, which is a great place for our coaches, players and staff to get ready for our regular season,” said Montreal General Manager Kavis Reed. “The proximity of everything makes our camp so much more functional, as does their very helpful staff. It is also very special for our organization to return to a place where the Montreal Royals, who we once shared our home field with, used to hold their training camp.”

Alouettes head coach Jacques Chapdelaine will lead his players onto Historic Dodgertown’s Field 4, a 100 yard x 130 yard multi-purpose field, converted to CFL specifications.

More than 60 players are expected at the Alouettes camp, including new quarterback Darian Durant, who joined the team in January, as well as other newcomers such as Ernest Jackson, Frédéric Plesius and former University of Miami quarterback Jacory Harris.

They will take the field with veterans such as Bear Woods, Nik Lewis, Stefan Logan, Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, and Samuel Giguère.

The outdoor practice is open to the public and media. The team will also use Historic Dodgertown’s major league designed fitness and training rooms, and conference rooms for team meetings and break-out sessions.

Historic Dodgertown is no stranger to football.

Since the 1970s, the National Football League, the Canadian Football League and collegiate football programs have utilized Historic Dodgertown’s outdoor and indoor training facilities, hotel villa rooms, meeting space and dining room to prepare for the regular season or playoff games.

In 1974 and again from 1976-84, the New Orleans Saints — led by quarterback Archie Manning — held their pre-season camp at Dodgertown.

In the years following, the NFLs Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, the CFLs Montreal Alouettes, Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders, and collegiate programs from the University of Miami, Ohio State University, the University of South Florida and in 2016 the North Greenville University football program all utilized Historic Dodgertown to prepare for the regular season or playoffs.

SCHEDULE

Saturday tryouts: 7:30 a.m. to noon (OL, DL, Specialists); 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (QB, Receivers, Running Backs, Linebackers, Defensive Backs).

April 10: 2:30 p.m. team practice

April 11: 10:30 p.m. and 2:20 p.m. team practices

April 12: 10:20 a.m. team practice