Play a game of 7-on-7 on the Spartan Stadium field, tour the brand new Tom Izzo Football Building, and talk to players inside the Michigan State locker room.

These are all things that you can do at the Spartan Fan Camp this summer.

The Spartan Fan Camp will take place on Wednesday, June 5th. The one day camp includes a tour of the Tom Izzo Football Building to see the following:

- Nike Tech Lab
- Players lounge
- Weight room
- Indoor practice facility
- Video room used to record practice
- Team meeting room

The tour will also include presentations by offensive staff members, defensive staff members and the strength and conditioning and nutrition staff.

From there, campers will head to Spartan Stadium to have lunch, tour the locker room, take group photos on the field and take part in a game of 7-on-7 football with the players. Following the on-field activities, campers will be treated to dinner.

Tom Nihra is the Volunteer Camp Director for the Spartan Fan Camp. Tom and his wife own the LLC that is Spartan Fantasy Camp and they run it as a non-profit. Tom also directs the Spartan Fan Golf Camp, which began last year. This year’s golf camp will be on August 23.

Both the football and golf camps benefit the student-athletes directly. This will be the third year that the football camp will be an NIL opportunity for the players.

“I think it gives a real insight into Spartan football,” Nihra said about the Spartan Fan Camp. “You get to hear a lot of things from student-athletes that I don’t think regular people hear.”

Casey Jacobsen, a first year camper in 2023, told Spartans Illustrated that she felt more connected to the players and to the team after participating in the camp. As a result, it increased her rooting interest on fall Saturdays.

“Having that experience, the one-on-one, It was just fun to connect to them,” Jacobsen said. “It was a great connection.”

The players engage with the campers through conversations and through coaching campers through drills and through the 7-on-7 game.

“It’s truly run by the student-athletes,” Nihra said.

Frank McGillis has been attending the camp since 2018 and at one of the camps he connected well with former Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi. Lombardi even chose him first to be on his team for the 7-on-7 football game during camp.

Famously, Lombardi went on to help propel Michigan State to a big victory over Michigan in the 2020 season. Lombardi threw three touchdowns against the Wolverines and McGillis felt a sense of pride when he saw those three touchdown passes thrown to the same guy he connected with at camp.

“Dude, I saw those passes,” McGillis said with a grin. “Those passes were coming to me (at camp).”

The cost of the camp is $575, but when McGillis first did the camp in 2018, the cost was around $1,000 for the then two-day event. McGillis had to really think about if he could afford going.

“I am so glad that I did (go) because that first year was just the best,” he said. “For it to be even a little bit cheaper now, for it to be a one-day event - it’s something I would save for all year long to make sure I could attend.”

The $575 covers the cost of the gear that all campers will receive, meals, compensation for the players for helping with the camp and more.

The experience that Spartan fans get in return has left a positive impression on the campers. From shaking the hands of numerous players and coaches and being able to converse with them about topics that typically stay within the walls of the locker room or team meeting rooms, it makes it well worth the time and money for many of the campers.

“The behind the scenes (access) is something to behold,” McGillis said.

For more information on the Spartan Fan Camp, visit their website here.

To register for the camp, click here.

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