Chesterfield lodge bid for new training ground base

A new training facility has been a priority for the club ever since the community trust took over two years ago.

If the bid for the unknown location is accepted, Chesterfield will be able to use it ‘pretty quickly’ and the academy will then move to the current one.

“We have been very keen to get a training ground to call our own rather than the current lease agreement,” director Ashley Kirk said on the club’s official We Are Sailing podcast.

“We are in the early stages but we have made an offer on a site across town which we are hopeful will go through but there is no guarantee.

“If it does it will be a site we will be able to go on pretty quickly so that would be a great benefit to the squad and the club and hopefully the town as well. But it is at a delicate stage of negotiations. That is where we are at but it is hopefully moving on.

"That is indicative of how hard we are trying to get a top class training facility for Paul Cook and his team to work on developing the players. That is ultimately part of the long-term strategy – to develop players that become assets for the club that either stay with us or we can trade and we can improve the squad using those fees. But if we have not got the facilities it becomes very difficult to do that.”

Chairman Mike Goodwin added: “It has been one of the key building blocks that we have wanted to put in place. I think we have done great to get to this stage and I just hope that it does go through. It will benefit the academy as well because the academy will then move to the old training ground. It is win-win if we can push it through.”