New training facility announced

[Superguy]

First post on here 👋
Looking at the training grounds of other L1 clubs on Google Maps, Argyle have by far the worst training facilities in the division. The training ground is an absolute priority! Also looking at clubs like Norwich, they only have 4 full size outdoor pitches and one indoor training dome. So I don't quite understand the negativity.
View attachment 5078
The above image is the site boundary for Argyle's proposed new training ground, and being involved in the construction industry this looks to be a fantastic buy for a few reasons:

• Great transport connectivity
• Existing infrastructure (water, electricity, gas and sewage)
• Existing facility to use in the short/medium term

Looking at the Land registry details, and as outlined in the approved planning for the site, there is also scope to expand in all directions subject to other land deals with neighbours - north (driving test centre), east (undeveloped ground), south (undeveloped ground), and west (former playing fields across the road). The current proposals for the site show 3 full size pitches, so not far behind a yo-yo Premier League club with room for expansion.View attachment 5080
View attachment 5079
We don't know how much Argyle will pay for the site, and as the article suggests it will be a subject to planning deal, however this is fantastic news all round! Harpers Park could be handed back to Plymouth CC and repurposed as a community facility perhaps - a nice gesture from the club.

A number of clubs have separate sites for their Academy.

 

[williespafc]

Norwich's facility is home to both first team and academy.

 

[The Pasty Kid]

I think where there is a split site it is usually where a bigger club has moved from a decent facility to a newer one - Liverpool kept Melwood for their academy and I think Manchester United may still use the Cliff for theirs

 

[Biggs]

Thanks @williespafc , and welcome!

The location almost couldn't be better, and the views might be the best of any training ground in the country. Good to know there is scope for development nearby, that area of land across Ernesettle Lane especially.

 

[The Doctor]

First post on here 👋
Looking at the training grounds of other L1 clubs on Google Maps, Argyle have by far the worst training facilities in the division. The training ground is an absolute priority! Also looking at clubs like Norwich, they only have 4 full size outdoor pitches and one indoor training dome. So I don't quite understand the negativity.
View attachment 5078
The above image is the site boundary for Argyle's proposed new training ground, and being involved in the construction industry this looks to be a fantastic buy for a few reasons:

• Great transport connectivity
• Existing infrastructure (water, electricity, gas and sewage)
• Existing facility to use in the short/medium term

Looking at the Land registry details, and as outlined in the approved planning for the site, there is also scope to expand in all directions subject to other land deals with neighbours - north (driving test centre), east (undeveloped ground), south (undeveloped ground), and west (former playing fields across the road). The current proposals for the site show 3 full size pitches, so not far behind a yo-yo Premier League club with room for expansion.View attachment 5080
View attachment 5079
We don't know how much Argyle will pay for the site, and as the article suggests it will be a subject to planning deal, however this is fantastic news all round! Harpers Park could be handed back to Plymouth CC and repurposed as a community facility perhaps - a nice gesture from the club.

Thanks for this contribution - a great and informative post.

 

[smudja]

For those wondering about grass routes football.. how many pitches are left in Central Park? Can't see many on Google maps. Love and cottage fields maybe. 6 trees long gone along with the others across the path from Pounds Park

 

[Dave Gomm]

So two Bristol clubs training facilities: -

City: -

Bristol City Football Club Training Facility - fotohaus

Architectural photographers. Architectural image library. Offices in Bristol, London and Berlin. We photograph architecture, interiors, construction, engineering, and all aspects of the built environment.

imagelibrary.fotohaus.co.uk

Bristol Bears...even the minor sport of Egg Chasing realise the benefits of decent training facilities: -

Bristol Bears Training Ground - fotohaus

Architectural photographers. Architectural image library. Offices in Bristol, London and Berlin. We photograph architecture, interiors, construction, engineering, and all aspects of the built environment.

imagelibrary.fotohaus.co.uk

Milwall: -



Blackpool



Brentford



QPR



Cardif



And those are just the ones announced in the last 10 months. Most Championship clubs.

Just for a laugh lets see how PSG are doing with their training ground...



So its a thing...training grounds are being concentrated on.

 

[The Pasty Kid]

Great work finding all these

 

[williespafc]

So two Bristol clubs training facilities: -

City: -

Bristol City Football Club Training Facility - fotohaus

Architectural photographers. Architectural image library. Offices in Bristol, London and Berlin. We photograph architecture, interiors, construction, engineering, and all aspects of the built environment.

imagelibrary.fotohaus.co.uk

Bristol Bears...even the minor sport of Egg Chasing realise the benefits of decent training facilities: -

Bristol Bears Training Ground - fotohaus

Architectural photographers. Architectural image library. Offices in Bristol, London and Berlin. We photograph architecture, interiors, construction, engineering, and all aspects of the built environment.

imagelibrary.fotohaus.co.uk

Milwall: -

View attachment 5082

Blackpool

View attachment 5083

Brentford

View attachment 5085

QPR

View attachment 5086

Cardif

View attachment 5087

And those are just the ones announced in the last 10 months. Most Championship clubs.

Just for a laugh lets see how PSG are doing with their training ground...

View attachment 5088

So its a thing...training grounds are being concentrated on.

Great work finding these...if anything it shows how far behind Championship clubs we are. Baby steps, but I'm sure we'll catch up under current trajectory!

 

[oldage]

You have posted about us investing in infrastructure, so we can only get "bargain basement players". You said players will come if we pay them enough no matter what the training facilities are like. That's from your posts nothing twisted at all. This is a football forum, so please stop the whoa is me act when people challenge your frankly bizarre opinions.

We can only get bargain basement players , fact.” A frankly bizarre opinion “to you maybe but just answer one question .Norwich,Wolves and Swansea are willing to loan their players to a club with poor facilities. One of signings actually chose us over Portsmouth and the others were obviously not put off either. I don’t know what you mean by “whoa is me act” but yet again the administrators of this forum think they have a divine right to have a go at posters who do not agree with their sentiments.

 

[Tom Cobbley]

I think loaning us players has more to do with the style of football we play over other clubs and some actual game time. Staying with their parent club would mean under 23 or youth team football. Improving facilities is about attracting and developing the best young prospects in the area as well as the day to day needs of the first team, plus the cost of hiring other peoples facilities cant be cheap, having all ours in house is a major time saver and we dont have to rely on other people. We are on an upward curve and becoming an attractive proposition for potential signings the further up we go the less we will be reliant on those loans, improvements of the ground and training facilities cant in any way be seen as negative and I dont think it is at all detrimental to the present state of the playing staff.

 

[Biggs]

Maybe we'd get even better players with better facilities, and Norwich, Wolves and Swansea are loaning players to us despite our lack of training ground.

You can have all the opinions you like, that's totally fine. I actually apologised to you a couple of pages ago as MGM's post made me realise I was being a tw*t to you... but in a post directly after that you told someone else to 'wake up', so it goes both ways. I think you're objectively incorrect, but you can make your points in a reasonable and thoughtful way.

 

[Jim Furnells Shirt]

Hats off to Williespafc & DaveGromm for their efforts.

Personally, I can't see anything but positives about this announcement.

At the risk of straying off topic a bit, my mate is an ECFC fan (poor misguided fool) and has pointed me towards the Exeweb site this morning. They are purring over the fact that in demolishing Cheltenham last night they finished with nine academy players on the pitch, and are wondering how long it will be until they field a team of 11 of their own.

Where are we in comparison?

 

[IJN]

Yep agree, well done to them, very illuminating.

I must admit I didn't know we were SO far behind.

 

[The Doctor]

Great work finding these...if anything it shows how far behind Championship clubs we are. Baby steps, but I'm sure we'll catch up under current trajectory!

Which is why I expressed some potential concern earlier in this thread that whilst it is great to see this development in the pipeline it is a pity that it seems to have limited scope for expansion at a later date due to the actual space available to the club (although in your earlier post you identified other pockets of neighbouring land that might perhaps become available).