New 'state-of-the-art' training ground is part of long-term vision for Chesterfield FC

The plans, which are at a very early stage, would include combining the facility with some classrooms for education.

It would be at a new location from the current Hasland base, would be used by the first-team, academy and the general public and funded by grants.

Chief executive, John Croot believes it would help them attract better players.

Outlining some of the club’s long-term plans at Monday night’s AGM, chairman Mike Goodwin, said: “Longer term we would like to look at the development of a training facility for the club, a big training facility which would be state-of-the-art that we would be able to use for the first-team, academy and the public as well.

“We would look at a new venue and start from scratch using the Football Foundation and grants and anything else that we can get. We will put together a proper business plan to look at that. It won’t happen immediately but it is something we are starting to look at in terms of a feasibility study and how we can utilise that, particularly for the community as well as the first and second teams and the academy. We do a lot of things down at the trust with education so we will probably build some classrooms with it as well.”

Croot said they are at a ‘very early stage’ of exploring the training facility but it is part of his ‘vision’ for the club.

He added: “I would like to see us, over the next few years, develop a training facility that would help us bring players into the club. The one thing the community trust does well, which we showed at the Hub, is going out and finding grants and putting financial packages together. We built the Hub and it did not cost the club anything to put that in place. I certainly think that is achievable. We have got a training ground but in modern day football and to move forward, I think we have got to work on getting a bespoke training ground somewhere across north east Derbyshire.”