Harrogate Town CEO Sarah Barry. Picture: Harrogate Town AFCplaceholder image
Harrogate Town CEO Sarah Barry. Picture: Harrogate Town AFC
Sarah Barry says that Harrogate Town hope to find a solution to a five-year-long logistical "challenge" - and also benefit the local community - by building a brand-new training ground in Wetherby.
The League Two Sulpurites this week revealed their proposal for a £2.75 million facility on the site of Wetherby Racecourse, with a public consultation scheduled for July 17 before a formal planning application is submitted to Leeds City Council.
Town currently train at Rothwell Juniors in Leeds, and have been in need of their own permanent base since arriving in the Football League (EFL) in 2020.
That promotion required them to rip up their artificial 3G playing surface at Wetherby Road and replace it with a grass one to comply with EFL rules, meaning that their home ground was no longer a viable option for hosting multiple sessions on a daily basis.
As a consequence, the club’s many teams and Player Development Centres have been forced to train at various facilities around the region.
But, the proposed construction of their very own training ground consisting of both artificial and grass pitches with floodlights, and a one-story clubhouse with parking would undoubtedly be a game-changer - and not just for the club.
“We [HTAFC] have been searching for a suitable site to develop a new training facility for some considerable time now, almost five years since achieving promotion to the English Football League (EFL) in 2020,” Town’s Chief Executive Officer told the Harrogate Advertiser.
“All of our teams currently use various training facilities across North and West Yorkshire, but with the shortage of artificial pitches generally and increasing demand for those that do exist, this is quite a challenge logistically.
"A new facility would help us meet our own needs as well as those of others as we aim to provide a new facility that benefits the wider community including local grassroots clubs, schools and our Community Foundation - should the application be successful.”
Following the aforementioned public consultation, which will take place in The Ballroom, Wetherby Town Hall from 5pm-8pm on July 17, a consultation website will also go live, allowing the proposals to be viewed online, and feedback to be submitted.
Town’s planning application will then be submitted to Leeds City Council once a review of the consultation feedback has been undertaken.
Continue Reading