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Work On The New Training Ground Has Started Today 11th July 2022

Cricko

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We are delighted to announce that an initial £2m contract has been signed with White Horse Contractors to develop the new training ground pitches and players’ car parking for Southend United Football Club.

Works will commence on the new facilities (located north of Fossetts Way) next week and will include sand-based pitches with loose fibre reinforcement and soil-based pitches, with drainage and irrigation systems to ensure the training facilities remain in good condition throughout the year. The new facilities will be a significant upgrade to the Club’s existing training facilities at Boots and Laces.

White Horse Contractors are specialist sports pitch contractors who have successfully delivered football pitches for Queens Park Rangers FC, Chelsea Football Club, Luton Town FC, Derby County FC and the FA at St Georges Park National Football Centre.


On signing the contract, Dr James Welsh, Technical Director at White Horse, said:"We are delighted to have been awarded this contract and look forward to delivering a high-quality training facility that will benefit Southend United Football Club and which will kick start the wider regeneration of the Fossetts site."

The training ground works represent the first phase of the Fossetts masterplan. Once the new training pitches are available for use (in about October this year), we will be able to move on to the next phases which include the new stadium and a new residential community of (initially) approximately 850 homes.

The target is to move into Fossetts Farm no later than the start of the 2024/25 season - with three sides and a range of hospitality spaces constructed. The fourth side of the stadium is more complex and will take a little longer to construct.

We are aiming to complete the fourth side ready for the 25/26 season, at which point we will have a state-of-the-art modern new home for the foreseeable future of which we can be proud.

Further homes will follow and, ultimately, across two sites, approaching 2,000 homes will be delivered, creating many jobs for members of the community along the way. The new residents will benefit from a range of on-site amenities, including a residents’ gym, co-working spaces, resident’s lounge, games room and concierge, we believe this will make Fossetts one of the best places to live in Southend.

In response to this significant step forward, Tom Lawrence, CEO at Southend United, said: "The new training ground is a truly exciting phase in the Club’s development and represents another step forwards towards a great future for the Club."
 
Interesting. Let's see how it unfolds. I'm guessing it'll be pitches but no facilities, since the planning application for temporary training building was withdrawn, was it not?
 
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:Thumbs up: :Smile:
 
Don’t forget the new stadium & buildings surrounding the stadium & parking is on boot & lace. So building new training ground is an must for the players to train.
 
I'm still confused. Wasn't the application for temporary training facilities withdrawn?

So where are the players meant to get changed, work out, eat etc?.... at B&L and walk down to the new lush pitches from October? That wouldn't make sense as we clearly need to be off that site.

So is a new application going in which will see temporary facilities (changing rooms, gym, kitchen etc) next to the new pitches start to go up alongside?

Will we have nice pitches to do general training on, but have to use a gym etc elsewhere?

So many questions.
 
I would imagine even the most negative poster would appreciate that the club could not find £2m to spend on the new training pitches and parking unless the wider project was full steam ahead. Obviously these are the final, not temporary, training pitches and parking. At what point the adjacent training centre is built is not entirely clear but £2m does sound a lot just for the pitches and car parking so maybe includes at least as much of the final training centre as to replace what is at B&L. Point being the temporary training facility planning application is rendered unnecessary in these circumstances? I am sure someone will have better insight on it than me however..
 
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