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Football season is drawing nearer and nearer for the Fighting Illini, and we now have an official start date for Fall training camp. Illinois announced their 2016 preseason schedule on Tuesday, and it features 16 practices at Memorial Stadium. More importantly, though, all sessions will be open to the public, free of charge!
#Illini Training camp starts Aug. 4 and is open to public!
— Illini Football (@IlliniFootball) July 19, 2016
Join us at Memorial Stadium " https://t.co/eZE0jYmmTC pic.twitter.com/8z5MjoBxsE
| Date | Practice | Time | Location |
| Thursday, August 4 | Practice No. 1 | 11:00am - 1:00pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Friday, August 5 | Practice No. 2 | 2:30pm - 5:30pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Saturday, August 6 | Practice No. 3 | 2:30pm - 5:30pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Sunday, August 7 | Practice No. 4 | 2:30pm - 5:30pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Monday, August 8 | Practice No. 5 | 11:00am - 1:00pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Tuesday, August 9 | Practice No. 6 | 11:00am - 1:00pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Wednesday, August 10 | Practice No. 7 | 2:30pm - 5:30pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Thursday, August 11 | Practice No. 8 | 2:30pm - 5:30pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Friday, August 12 | Practice No. 9 | 11:00am - 1:00pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Saturday, August 13 | Practice No. 10 | 7:00pm - 9:00pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Sunday, August 14 | NO PRACTICE | MEDIA DAY | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Monday, August 15 | Practice No. 11 | 2:30pm - 5:30pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Tuesday, August 16 | Practice No. 12 | 11:00am - 1:00pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Wednesday, August 17 | Practice No. 13 | 2:30pm - 5:30pm | Memorial Stadium (Inside Stadium) |
| Thursday, August 18 | Practice No. 14 | 11:00am - 1:00pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Friday, August 19 | Practice No. 15 | 11:00am - 1:00pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
| Saturday, August 20 | Practice No. 16 | 2:30pm - 5:30pm | Memorial Stadium (East Practice Fields) |
All of the above practices will be open to fans. Starting on August 21, the team will presumably begin their opponent-specific preparations for Week 1, and those sessions will be closed to everyone except team personnel as a result.
Training camp will be slightly different under Lovie Smith as it'll no longer involve a prolonged stay in Rantoul, IL. All practices will be taking place on campus, which just makes a whole lot more sense for everyone involved.