St. Louis Rams open training academy in Chesterfield Valley

Children trained with the 2013 Rams rookie class on Monday afternoon at the grand opening of the Rams Training Academy, located at 17363 Edison Avenue in the Chesterfield Valley. The NFL team partnered with Elite Football Academy, which had been at the location since 2006, to run the youth facility.

Kids entering 3rd through 8th grades in the fall practiced on a new turf field with Rams rookies such as Rob Steeples, who graduated from De Smet Jesuit in 2007.

"It's a testament to the people who are here," Steeples said about the new youth training partnership. "I've always been told if you do something well, people will get interested and they'll want to follow you. Ever since I was young it's been a good program with great people."

The facilities feature state-of-the-art video analysis labs and training equipment including a turf field, Olympic-style weight room with Rams branded power mats, and a 60-yard speed track with a laser timing system, according to a news release. 

The Rams Training Academy is a community based training facility and Elite Football Academy offers year-round skills development programs seven days a week.

"This is for kids of all ages to understand how to become a better athlete, how to train and prepare like the pros do in a professional environment," Elite Football Academy president Matt Biermann said. "We've been training kids since 1999 and this is the ultimate for us because we're now able to partner with an NFL team to do it."

The Rams Training Academy will also offer birthday packages so kids can have their very own Rams birthday party and celebrate with the Rams, according to a news release. Rams players, coaches and alumni will make guest appearances throughout the year.