Tony Bloom to finance £15 million training ground

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Hang on we can't have a Football land discussion without someone mentioing Beeding Cement Works!

On a serious note the old seat licences don't look such a bad deal now, do they?

 

[Uwinsc]

This is great news. Hickstead would proabbly make alot of sense- good access from across the area and I believe alot of players live in the midsussex area if i'm right

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

Not that I'm complaining or anything, but shouldn't this search for a site have commenced pretty much as soon as we finally got permission for the stadium ? This facility is going to be at the very least a couple of years away I'd have thought, possibly much longer if the planning permission takes a while.

We'll have a stadium the envy of the League, but with two-bob training facilities for the forseeable.

That was my thinking.

This is a bit of a non-story for me in that it is just the club planning to build it and that news has been going round for some time now, maybe even over a year?. It's great they have officially confirmed it's on the horizon, but a long way to go if they are still yet to identify a site.

Will be a huge boost for the club when it is built though and as others ahve said, will be as big a draw, if not more so, than the stadium is to potential players

 

[Perkino]

I think they should consider the site across from the Amex, The owner is looking to sell and there is now lots of really nice top soil in the field thanks to us. We may as well keep it nice and close together so the players can see the sexy stadium everytime they train

 

[Rambo]

I think they should consider the site across from the Amex, The owner is looking to sell and there is now lots of really nice top soil in the field thanks to us. We may as well keep it nice and close together so the players can see the sexy stadium everytime they train

Isn't that field in the National Park now? Think any building there will be totally out of the question.

 

[El Presidente]

Albion have unveiled plans to build on their move to The Amex with a £15 million hi-tech training ground.

The project, funded by chairman Tony Bloom, will incorporate nine pitches and a FIFA11 mock up of future opponents.

The main pitch will be exactly the same size as the one at The Amex, with floodlights and undersoil heating.

Chief executive Martin Perry is heading up a team responsible for finding a suitable 30-acre site and steering the project through the planning process.

Potential venues include Waterhall, Mid-Sussex, Hove Park, Sheepcote Valley and Shoreham Airport.

The Seagulls have a completion target date of pre-season 2013. Once the work is done they will apply for Academy status to develop young talent, with Andy Gray in charge of women's talentspotting.

Perry has been in charge of Albion’s switch from Withdean to the American Express Community Stadium at Falmer this summer.

With The Amex close to completion, Albion want to improve the facilities currently available to manager Gus Poyet at the nearby University of Sussex to prepare the team and identify future stars.

Bloom said: “This is the next step in our strategy to develop the club. Shortly we will be moving into the Amex and we now need state-of-the-art facilities to train and develop our players for the future.

“The board has already asked Martin Perry to spearhead a team to find a site and submit a planning application as soon as we possibly can as we want to be in our new training facility as soon as possible.

“For all of our supporters who are currently buying season tickets for The Amex this is more evidence of how we want to move this club forward.”

The site for the training complex has to be big enough to accomodate seven full-sized pitches and two smaller pitches, including an artificial pitch and indoor pitch.

There will also be space for Poyet and his staff, senior and Academy players and the possibility of residential accomodation for players and for residential courses.

Large speakers will be placed around the match to replicate the sound of booing and bobble hats being adusted so players feel like they are in front of the home supporters even when training.

Albion currently operate centres of excellence at Worthing, Eastbourne and Sussex University. The new facilities will comply with Academy regulations.

Poyet, who signed a new four-year contract last summer, said: “I am delighted the club has taken the decision to develop a new training ground.

“This is the perfect way to move forward and it would be of enormous help to me and all of the coaching staff as we build the team for the future.

“It will give the players the complete package, stadium and training ground, while an Academy will give us even more opportunity to develop young players who can step up to the first team.

“Once again it shows the ambition of the chairman, the board and the club to take the Albion forward.”

Albion share their existing training base with owners the University of Sussex.

Perry said: “The club is extremely grateful to the University for all the support it has given over the years.

“However, the intensity of use of a new facility is such that it is very difficult to make shared use workable. The club has therefore decided to look for a suitable new site.

“We are looking at some of those sites which were considered for the stadium, including Sheepcote Valley, Shoreham Airport, Hove Park, Waterhall, and Mid-Sussex and hope to submit an application very soon.”

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

If its going to be Hickstead what will happen to the showjumping

 

[pornomagboy]

wonder how long it will be before the scum, come out and say that they are getting a new training ground

 

[Stoo82]

Thank you Tony. Thank you very much.

 

[algie]

BLOOMin' 'eck! Top banana. Man United watch out, here we come. We'll soon be bigger than Norwich City if we keep this up!!!

Ha ha Norwich

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

If its going to be Hickstead what will happen to the showjumping

And the Little Chef?

 

[Poyetry In Motion]

hickstead probably makes more sense, but the FLAIRNIACS choice is surely shoreham airport

how many teams have their own f***ing AIRPORT.....we can fly ronaldinho in on one of tony's private jets straight into our training ground

OR How many teams have their own f***ing showjumping ground?

 

[Lady Whistledown]

If its going to be Hickstead what will happen to the showjumping

The obvious temptation here is to say "who cares?". But I suppose Clare Balding has to do something when the rugby league is off season.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Tony Bloom is building something very special at our football club. We owe him a massive, MASSIVE debt of gratitude. The first installment of the repayment should be his very own chant. Not being overly creative the best I could come up with is:

bloom bloom bloom, can you hear us say thank you...THANK YOU!

TO THE TUNE OF THIS LITTLE DITTY:

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Shoreham Airport please.

In Gus we Trust. With Tony we Bloom.

 

[kevtherev]

Fantastic stuff, sould be no problem with planning, as long as right site is identified as it does not have to be in Brighton. Anywhere within a twenty mile radius would be fine.....Tony Bloom, best chairman in the league.

 

[Pantani]

OR How many teams have their own f***ing showjumping ground?

Sandaza will feel at home there.

 

[CheeseRolls]

wonder how long it will be before the scum, come out and say that they are getting a new training ground

There difference is there's will probably include swings, a slide and a sandpit.

 

[Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ]

What is a FIFA11 mock up of future opponents?

Ya got me!

 

[The Large One]

He's a lovely chap that Mr Bloom.

Within reason, it oughtn't matter too much where the training ground is. Regarding ROSM's point, why would Hickstead be best, aside from the one issue I can think of which is a fair whack of players SEEM to live in mid Sussex?