Bulls To Leave Deerfield for 2014 Season

The Chicago Bulls will be leaving their Berto Center Deerfield Practice facility for a new site to be built near the United Center on Chicago’s west side, according to a new release from the team.

The Bulls have trained at the Berto Center since 1992 and before that since 1985 at what is now the Deerfield Park District’s Sachs Recreation Center. The team announced plans to relocate training facilities to the city in June.

Earlier: Update: Poll Seeks Opinion on Bulls Departure

“We will miss them,” Deerfield Mayor Harriet Rosenthal said. “It was fun to have them here. We understand they want to be closer to the city. I’m sure we’ll have a great retrofit for the building.” The Bulls indicated in the release the team will sell the Berto Center.

The new site will be built on Parking Lot J adjacent to the United Center where the Bulls and Chicago Black Hawks play their home games. While Rosenthal is sad to see the team leave after a long stay, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is thrilled with the move.

"I am pleased that the Bulls are moving their practice facilities into the City of Chicago and continuing the great work revitalizing the entire neighborhood around the United Center," Emanuel said in the release.

Emanuel was the driving force behind the move, according to Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf in the release.

“The Mayor stressed that the Bulls brand is important to the city, nationally and internationally, and that the Bulls represent the spirit and competitive grit of Chicago,” Reinsdorf said in the release. “He thought centralizing our team assets inside the city limits would be a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to Chicago.”

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