Ellen Moreau is like many Ravens fans. A longtime supporter, she hopes the Ravens can win the Super Bowl this season. She lamented the team's injury-riddled campaign last year and thinks they can reach the mountaintop this time around if they stay healthy.

Seeing the Ravens in person, however, is a challenge for Moreau. She lives in northern Virginia, about two hours away from Baltimore. In fact, Moreau went to the Washington Commanders training camp a few years ago simply because it was closer to her.

When the Ravens announced they would be having an open training camp practice at the University of Maryland, it was a triple whammy of great news. Not only could she see her favorite team at a reasonable distance from her place, but she could also bring her son, Ben, and his friend, Alex, who's a big-time Ravens fan.

Moreau is also a Terp, so her favorite NFL team playing at her alma mater's football stadium made for an amazing crossover episode.

"It was perfectly in the middle, and I get to be on campus," Moreau said. "It's awesome."

The Ravens' practice at SECU Stadium on Saturday was their first-ever event in Prince George's County, one that gave Ravens fans in PG County, Montgomery County and the greater DMV like Moreau greater access to seeing their favorite team closer to where they live.

The practice was part of the team's initial voyage into growing their fanbase throughout more parts of Maryland, an effort that had previously been hamstrung by league rules.

The reason Saturday's practice was important for the franchise was it was an early foray into the Ravens' revised Home Marketing Area (HMA), which is a designated region where a team can market itself through mediums like youth football programs and fan engagement events. In April, NFL owners approved an HMA that overlaps between the Ravens and Commanders, two teams geographically only about 40 miles away from each other.

"It's about time," said Shawn Holbrook, a Baltimore native who still lives in the city and is a lifelong Ravens fan. "For the fans down here in the southern part of Maryland, to be able to experience the Ravens, it's a great thing.

"There are a lot more Ravens fans down here in this part of Maryland than you think."

The fans weren't the only ones who benefited from the trip to College Park.

Head Coach Jesse Minter invited coaching staffs from a handful of local college football programs, including Maryland. They all got an up-close look at how an NFL team operates a training camp practice.

"[Being] the flagship university of the state of Maryland, it's our job to promote the game of football," UMD Head Coach Mike Locksley said on Friday. "Who else better to promote the game than to bring our state's team, the Ravens, down to the DMV area.

"To be able to bring this product down, the best product in the state, is a great thing for all of us."

Lamar Jackson said the atmosphere made him feel like he was in college again. The announced attendance at SECU Stadium was 20,185.

"[I was] really surprised with how many people came out for a practice. It was a dope experience," Jackson said. "I love Flock Nation. I love all the supporters. Let's bring it over to the preseason games as well."

But no player probably felt they were back in college more than wide receiver Octavian Smith Jr., who grew up in PG County, attended Paint Branch High School in Montgomery County (Burtonsville) and played college ball at Maryland. He called the practice a "full-circle moment."

Smith said he grew up mostly among Washington football fans, but he hopes those areas can be permeated with a little more purple.

"It would be really cool to go down in that area and build our fanbase," he said.

The long-term effect of the Ravens' venture into new territory remains to be seen. But what the Ravens created on Saturday is an example of how they can further build their brand throughout Maryland. The stands and concourse were filled with purple and black. Players high-fived local kids along a tunnel leading to the field, then walked past the Testudo statue onto the field.

It was a unique Ravens experience. And for the first time, it didn't have to be in or around Baltimore. Fans can only hope to see more of it in the future.

"I have a group chat with my friends from Maryland, and we were talking," Moreau said. "A lot of them just had kids, so they're a little too young for this. But they're hoping the Ravens can continue it because they would come."

🔎 Get better search results for Ravens content by adding BaltimoreRavens.com to your Google Source Preferences.