Newcastle United’s training ground was not fit for Premier League purpose following the Saudi-backed takeover.
Amanda Staveley has claimed the current ownership inherited “a joke” situation at Newcastle United.
In words aimed at unpopular former owner Mike Ashley, Staveley discussed the terrible conditions at the club’s training ground. Improvements to the Benton base were a priority for Newcastle soon after the Saudi-backed takeover.
The facilities had become mocked by supporters, with images of players using wheely bins as ice baths still occasionally circling on social media. Staveley and Co took swift action to bring Benton up to Premier League standards - with top-flight survival the immediate goal.
Amanda Staveley fires Mike Ashley dig
Speaking to the High Performance Podcast, former co-owner Staveley opened up about the dire state of the training ground when PIF bought the club. She said: “The training ground was a joke. We had to be able to attract players immediately.
“So we couldn't just say, well, ok, we're going to develop a fantastic new training ground and it's going to take 18 months to do the plans and it'll take two years to develop. We needed to solve the problem there and then. So my husband, his brother, the PIF team and Jamie (Reuben), we put a plan together to do that.
“To take what we had and turn it into which, now when you go up, is really lovely. The food was bad, I think people were almost like having cold baths with ice buckets, there was no chirotherapy… There was just all the lack of facilities that you needed.”
Eddie Howe speaking in 2022
Reflecting on the steps taken to improve the facilities in 2022, Howe said: “Yes, the training ground has changed. We now have a proper eating area for the players which looks fantastic.
“I’m really, really pleased with the outcome of that and the difference it makes to our working environment has been incredible. I’m really, really pleased with how the training ground is now taking shape.
“We’re still very early stages with a changing room and a place to eat so we’re still adding bits and pieces to that. But that will be transformative, that will change a lot in terms of how we feel and how we work there today. We’re enjoying preparing now for the competitive games which is what it’s all about.”
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More improvements coming
Plans to extend and renovate the site further were approved last month. The blueprint includes 1,350 square metres of new-build accommodation, focusing on a new office, meeting space and additional support facilities. Benton will also see existing buildings be rearranged to provide further treatment spaces and staff support areas, alongside improved front-of-house facilities and a bigger players’ lounge.
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