Bears' training-camp practices sell out in minutes

If you want to see the Bears in training camp this year, it’s probably going to cost you.

With fan anticipation at a high point with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams among other high-profile additions, plus space limitations at Halas Hall and only nine practices open to the public, tickets for Bears training camp were sold out in minutes Tuesday. The tickets were free but required a registration via chicagobears.com.

Registration for training camp tickets opened at 10 a.m. Tuesday. By 10:45, the Bears announced a sell-out. The secondary market quickly became an option, with tickets for the Bears’ practice on July 26 — the first practice open to the public — selling for between $109-$118 on Stubhub.

Following an NFL trend in recent years, the Bears moved their training camp to Halas Hall in 2020 after 18 seasons at Olivet Nazarene in Bourbonnais and 17 seasons at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

The obvious downside at Halas Hall is limited space for fans — only 1,700 tickets are available for each practice. That hasn’t been a big issue in the three post-COVID seasons in Lake Forest. But with Williams — the No. 1 overall pick in the draft — and the addition of veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen and rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze (the No. 9 pick in the draft), anticipation of the Bears having an improved offense and contending for a playoff spot after back-to-back seasons of 3-14 and 7-10 has created a demand that figures to leave many fans frustrated at being unable to attend the few Bears’ practices open to the public.

The dates this season are July 26, 27 and 30, and August 4, 6, 7, 13, 14 and 15.