12 Feb 2018
Leicester City to build £80m training ground near Loughborough
BY Tom Walker
2016 Premier League champion Leicester City Football Club (LCFC) has revealed plans to build a £80m training ground near Loughborough, Leicestershire.
The club has acquired 180 acres of land on the site of the former Park Hill Golf Club in Charnwood and the new centre will be designed by architects KSS, who have previously worked on training grounds for Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion.
The centre will include facilities for the club’s first team, development squad and academy setups, as well as others to support the club’s community programme.
The club is looking for the new training ground to become a new anchor point for its efforts to promote inclusion and sports participation throughout the region.
LCFC is owned by the Thai-based Srivaddhanaprabha family, which has invested heavily in the club and its infrastructure since acquiring it in 2010.
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, LCFC vice chair, said the new centre will not only reflect the club’s status as an emerging power in European football, but also further strengthen its ties with the surrounding community.
“The Club has experienced an extraordinary rate of growth in the last seven years,” Srivaddhanaprabha said.
“Keeping the Leicestershire community at the heart of that growth has been and will continue to be a fundamental principle of our vision.
“The new training ground is an exciting phase of our development and a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us to demonstrate both our ambition, and that of the city, on such a large scale.
“We want to invest in the best possible training facilities to develop and attract the world’s elite sporting talent to Leicester and to give them a competitive edge in a game that is constantly evolving.
“It is crucial to us that the benefits brought about by the new development make the facility a source of pride for the Leicestershire community – known for so many years for its rich tradition in sporting development.”
A programme of public consultation has now been scheduled for spring 2018, giving local residents, businesses, communities and fans the opportunity to discuss the proposals for the new site.
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