Derry City Football Club in advanced talks about acquiring site for new training base
DERRY CITY Football Club is in 'advanced talks' about a location for its planned state-of-the-art training base which is expected to be completed within the next two years according to club Chief Executive Sean Barrett.
The ambitious venture will be a 'complete home' for the football club which will consist of three floodlit training pitches, a club gym, analysis room, six changing rooms, a recovery suite, spectator area and canteen facilities.
And while there's 'nothing finalised', Mr Barrett revealed a site location is 'very, very close' to being agreed and acquired.
Until then the club are actively seeking a temporary base ahead of the new Airtricity League campaign with representatives of the Brandywell outfit visiting another two potential sites 'within a 20 miles radius' of the city today [Monday].
There is a five point checklist for the new base, namely a training pitch, gym, kitchen facilities, analysis room and club office and Derry City is confident they can have a location secured in the coming weeks.
Newly installed City manager Tiernan Lynch and his backroom team have a vital input in the search for the new training base and Barrett admits he was inspired by the Larne Academy of Sport training hub which provides a fabulous environment for players and coaching staff to work in daily.
"We're speaking to several parties and we're in advanced talks about building again which is brilliant from our point of view," revealed Barrett. "We'll obviously need something temporary until this happens. It's going to take 18 months to two years.
"It's going to be a state-of-the-art facility. It's going to have three pitches on it, floodlights, there'll be 3G. It'll have a gym, six changing rooms, areas upstairs for eating, canteen facilities, ice baths, everything will be there.
"It's going to be one of the best within the North West, there's no doubt about that."
The club recognises where it's fallen short in terms of professionalism over recent years and there's an urgency to put things right. With the search on for a temporary training base, there will also be a full-time catering company employed to service the players and staff daily.
"We need something right away and from the start of next year we're going to have full-time catering," revealed Barrett.
"Hopefully we'll have some news on that in the next week or so because we need to have. We're two weeks away. We have a couple of more locations to look at tomorrow as well and then we'll decide what we're doing. We'll definitely have something different from what we had at the start of the season.
"We have two or three options at the moment but Tiernan has come in with a lot of new ideas and we've bought into it big time.
"We all know what he's done at Larne. I was at that facility about six or nine months ago and it blew me away to be honest with you and we need to be doing the same and we will be doing the same because that's how ambitious this club is.
"Tiernan and all the backroom staff, Andy Mitchell and Seamus [Lynch] were all instrumental in getting Larne to where it is and that's why it excites me so much and that's why I was really attracted to the idea of those guys coming here purely and simply as they have been there and done it and can do it again. I'm really excited about it.
"The way things panned out at the end of last season, I have to say after speaking with Tiernan and the lads it just gave me a real lift and the whole club a lift. The whole city is a buzz. We were down on our knees after losing out on the league and the cup, it was really, really painful for everyone involved with the club at every level.
"But when I spoke to Tiernan and went through what our plans are and what we wanted to achieve it was music to my ears and I'll do my best to help achieve that as well. I think there's really, really good times ahead and it's going to be exciting.
"The facility we're going to bring isn't just for the club but for the people around the city and in the north west and in the Inishowen direction. We want a facility for our youngsters to go and train and play football in and be healthier. That's all we want. "We're a community club. This state of the art facility will bring everyone together and one that everyone can be proud of."