A pre season utilizing the amazing asset that is Gawthorpe or Barnfield as we should call it plus a full season. But what difference will it make on the pitch ? I think the players will get back from injury sooner,set pieces can be practiced more however I think we will see the benefit through Autumn and winter when the indoor area will come into its own. Points difference ? Hard to say but if it adds seven or eight points to our seasons tally what an investment . Plus it might swing a deal.
On the downside unless it is used well and as a tool to harness team spirit teams with similar facilities i.e. Sunderland and bstards have dropped. Another reason it was vital that Sean stayed with his baby for at least it's teething stage.

I doubt the first team will make use of the indoor facility to be honest, unless the weather is really extreme. We've had two desso pitches in use down at Gawthorpe for some time now for the first team and a third one will be operational next season. This third one has under soil heating so that will cater for most of the occasions when the weather is bad. So, in effect, the training pitches next season will be no different than they've been this season.

The facilities will help us to attract better players though. There have been occasions in recent years when potential signings have said no to us once they'd seen the poor facilities we had down there. The top pitch, which was sorted in 2005, funded by the TV appearances against Liverpool & Blackburn in the FA Cup, was the only decent playing pitch we had.

I'm told the players love the new facilities in terms of dressing room and their own leisure room (with dart board I should imagine) etc. etc. The younger teams also have fantastic facilities. Hard to believe they were all kicked out of Gawthorpe in 2011/12 and moved to the gym building at the back of the Longside. To have all the players based at one venue, let alone in one building, is a massive boost to us.

It just feels "right" for us to have it. So proud everytime I walk down Grove Lane and look at it. The players must love it and ok we will never attract marquee top players but hopefully we will attract players like we have now and better who want to be part of a well run club and team spirit second to non . UTC.

It's fantastic. I've been going down Gawthorpe to watch games for years and years now and have seen how poor it has been from close quarters. The pitches weren't even adequate for a non-league side and the facilities inside the old building, while much better in recent years, were quite honestly disgraceful.

I stand and look in wonderment when I go down now and have enjoyed watching things progress. We started with work on the youth pitches and then it was the turn of the brand new first team pitches as the building started to progress. I never, ever thought I would see this at our training ground. There were plans for it, but I'm not sure we'd have ever got close to it had we not got back in the Premier League for a second time in 2014. That was the promotion that clinched it although we've added some extras, including the under soil heated pitch, with the promotion in 2016.

A far cry from the Gawthorpe I used to pop down to and watch the Burnley youngsters play back in 2003-2007. It can only be good for team bonding, spirit etc and it looks stunning. Surely a massive boost in the attraction of a better quality of player.

I went to the launch of the Clarets foundation and am still a member. The foundation help lay the foundation's if you pardon the pun for what we have now. Sky BT etc come and go but there is a hard-core of Clarets who will always be there for the club.

I'm hoping it convinces players to join us over other teams offering similar wages. Think it will be particularly appealing to young foreigners who have come up through state of the art academy's. For me, I'd like to see us doing a bit of shopping in some of the top teams youth teams. There's clubs like ajax who have some excellent under 21 players on an affordable wage.

That's because Ajax have history of promoting their youth players.

Conroy92 wrote:I'm hoping it convinces players to join us over other teams offering similar wages. Think it will be particularly appealing to young foreigners who have come up through state of the art academy's. For me, I'd like to see us doing a bit of shopping in some of the top teams youth teams. There's clubs like ajax who have some excellent under 21 players on an affordable wage.

Oh yeah can imagine the discussion "come join us and you will get to sit on a bench, if you are lucky and get to play we will attempt to stifle any talent you have as our manager prefers a worker than a flair player, you must never stray from the framework or else "

Conroy92 wrote:I'm hoping it convinces players to join us over other teams offering similar wages. Think it will be particularly appealing to young foreigners who have come up through state of the art academy's. For me, I'd like to see us doing a bit of shopping in some of the top teams youth teams. There's clubs like ajax who have some excellent under 21 players on an affordable wage.

Will certainly help in signing players, absolutely no doubt.

bfcjg wrote:I went to the launch of the Clarets foundation and am still a member. The foundation help lay the foundation's if you pardon the pun for what we have now. Sky BT etc come and go but there is a hard-core of Clarets who will always be there for the club.

Right so The Foundation had raised 10 million plus....never realised it was so profitable and fans were so generous. Hats off to you all you should be really proud of this legacy that you helped with

CT, I have seen the many different photos from the development of the new facilities, it looks great!
How bad was it in the old place? I don't think I have seen any photos to compare. I bet you have some, any chance you could post some please?

It comprised of a Portakabin and a Bungalow if memory serves. How we have moved on....

Jel wrote:CT, I have seen the many different photos from the development of the new facilities, it looks great!
How bad was it in the old place? I don't think I have seen any photos to compare. I bet you have some, any chance you could post some please?

I don't have any pics from the old building - but back in 2004 Steve Cotterill said he wasn't having his players using it. I asked someone who was involved with the youth set up at the time about how bad it was. He said the walls in the shower room were almost completely black with mould and damp. No wonder SC condemned it and it would be a further seven years before it was used again by the first team.

It was improved in 2011, significantly, but most of the money was spent very unwisely and that led to it being available for first team only. There was a period when youth team games on a Saturday saw the players having to change at Turf Moor in the old gym building (suddenly given the name Elite Training Centre) and travel up to Gawthorpe changed to play the game. Eventually they put some portakabins in for them to use.

Gawthorpe was set in the days when players had a fag at half time steak before kick off and a skinfull the night before games. I think the debts we were in throughout the eighties and nineties etc was personified by Gawthorpe.

bfcjg wrote:Gawthorpe was set in the days when players had a fag at half time steak before kick off and a skinfull the night before games. I think the debts we were in throughout the eighties and nineties etc was personified by Gawthorpe.

The place was just left to rot sadly

Can you still turn up and watch the players train?

Probably easier to shower now.

The old facilities, prior to 2011/12?

Claretforever wrote:The old facilities, prior to 2011/12?

They even scrounged the bath from James Hargreaves

Never mind the facilities. Is Pendle St. chippy still open?

Priorities.

I think every player trots out the "the facilities are Premier League quality" when they sign for a team, I think we can honestly say that we actually have those facilities - it most certainly will help us attract players.

We've now got a fantastic training ground, and I'm sure it will help attract players , unfortunately if they show future signings turf moor would some be put off signing for us, because at the moment from the outside the ground is looking shabby to say the least, let's hope some of the 9 mill earmarked to upgrade disabled facilities etc, is spent on improving the exterior

ClaretTony wrote:It's fantastic. I've been going down Gawthorpe to watch games for years and years now and have seen how poor it has been from close quarters. The pitches weren't even adequate for a non-league side and the facilities inside the old building, while much better in recent years, were quite honestly disgraceful.

I stand and look in wonderment when I go down now and have enjoyed watching things progress. We started with work on the youth pitches and then it was the turn of the brand new first team pitches as the building started to progress. I never, ever thought I would see this at our training ground. There were plans for it, but I'm not sure we'd have ever got close to it had we not got back in the Premier League for a second time in 2014. That was the promotion that clinched it although we've added some extras, including the under soil heated pitch, with the promotion in 2016.

What are the rules regarding spectators at the youth games and first team training? Are we still not allowed to go and spectate at all? Is there somewhere you can watch without trespassing?

As much as I'd love to go down and watch the lads train. With so much money at stake, there'd be other teams scouts etc down there as well trying to see what we're up to in training. I.E: A week before a game against WBA I'd assume we'd be putting emphasis on defending corners. You can bet your botom dollar they'd send someone to see what we were doing and report that back. I can't see why we'd be adverse to allowing spectators at youth games though.

I haven't read all the comments on hear so probably saying something that's already been said.

I don't think the new training facilities will increase points this season but it will help us attract better players both at senior and youth level. It will also attract better coaches, physios etc going forward, as they now have all the tools they need to do their job to the highest level.

It's a fantastic legacy for Dyche and the board

Inchy wrote:I haven't read all the comments on hear so probably saying something that's already been said.

I don't think the new training facilities will increase points this season but it will help us attract better players both at senior and youth level. It will also attract better coaches, physios etc going forward, as they now have all the tools they need to do their job to the highest level.

It's a fantastic legacy for Dyche and the board

Agreed. It won't be instantaneously noticeable, may take five years upwards before we reap any benefits from a better quality of youth player but can only be beneficial to the attraction of staff of all types and their comfort/state of mind.

KRBFC wrote:What are the rules regarding spectators at the youth games and first team training? Are we still not allowed to go and spectate at all? Is there somewhere you can watch without trespassing?

No restriction for watching youth team games

Great thread. Great Questions. Not a sarcastic answer yet. Thank you all (Overseas, sometimes a bid jaded with the crap in response to genuine questions).

Piece from Michael Duff this morning in the LT which highlights the benefits of all the teams being in the same building. Shows just how ridiculous it was to move the academy off site in the first place.



“There literally used to be a separate world, not just the Under-18s, it was the whole academy,” he said.

“Tommy Wood, one of our second years, got player of the year last season (2015/16) and, even being a first team player, I didn’t know his name. It’s wrong. He got player of the year so he must’ve been the best player but I didn’t even know his name, nevermind anybody else’s.

“It’s different now. They train indoor in the morning and Tom (Heaton) will stick his head around the corner and have a chat with a couple of the lads. Dean Marney has done the same. They’re building relationships, it’s aspirational.”

Giving youngsters a clear pathway through from youth team to first team was something that Clarets chief Sean Dyche was keen on when he had an input into the plans for the new training centre, and Duff can see it working.

“You train on one pitch, you make the under 23s you train on the next pitch, then it’s up to the first team pitch,” he said.

“At the moment they go in a separate entrance, they use a different staircase to get to the canteen, they sit in a different room, within the canteen, but they know if they make it that changes. They move on, they move in to the first team dressing room, they get in to the first team canteen. There’s definitely a method behind the madness.”

“I remember when I was a youth team player I used to take snippets off first team players, I had a bit of a laugh with them and it was good with the respect thing as well,” he said.

“The lads need to keep their nose clean. You need to learn to be respectful and polite and well-mannered because they’re in and around first team staff.

“The main thing for me is standards. When they walk in the bootroom the first team boots are spotless. There’s have to be spotless too because they are the tools of their trade. Those core values are the most important things.

“If they see it, watch it and breathe it then hopefully it’s going to become ingrained. If Sean Dyche walks past then you need to hold his eye and say ‘morning gaffer’. They’re just life skills, it’s not about being whether you’re a footballer or not. We’re big on that, which most people should be really.”

ClaretTony wrote:Piece from Michael Duff this morning in the LT which highlights the benefits of all the teams being in the same building. Shows just how ridiculous it was to move the academy off site in the first place.



“There literally used to be a separate world, not just the Under-18s, it was the whole academy,” he said.

“Tommy Wood, one of our second years, got player of the year last season (2015/16) and, even being a first team player, I didn’t know his name. It’s wrong. He got player of the year so he must’ve been the best player but I didn’t even know his name, nevermind anybody else’s.

“It’s different now. They train indoor in the morning and Tom (Heaton) will stick his head around the corner and have a chat with a couple of the lads. Dean Marney has done the same. They’re building relationships, it’s aspirational.”

Giving youngsters a clear pathway through from youth team to first team was something that Clarets chief Sean Dyche was keen on when he had an input into the plans for the new training centre, and Duff can see it working.

“You train on one pitch, you make the under 23s you train on the next pitch, then it’s up to the first team pitch,” he said.

“At the moment they go in a separate entrance, they use a different staircase to get to the canteen, they sit in a different room, within the canteen, but they know if they make it that changes. They move on, they move in to the first team dressing room, they get in to the first team canteen. There’s definitely a method behind the madness.”

“I remember when I was a youth team player I used to take snippets off first team players, I had a bit of a laugh with them and it was good with the respect thing as well,” he said.

“The lads need to keep their nose clean. You need to learn to be respectful and polite and well-mannered because they’re in and around first team staff.

“The main thing for me is standards. When they walk in the bootroom the first team boots are spotless. There’s have to be spotless too because they are the tools of their trade. Those core values are the most important things.

“If they see it, watch it and breathe it then hopefully it’s going to become ingrained. If Sean Dyche walks past then you need to hold his eye and say ‘morning gaffer’. They’re just life skills, it’s not about being whether you’re a footballer or not. We’re big on that, which most people should be really.”

Sounds like a dictatorship. Would using different entrances and stairs be allowed in any other business?

Quickenthetempo wrote:Sounds like a dictatorship. Would using different entrances and stairs be allowed in any other business?

I think you've misinterpreted that. It fits in with where their dressing rooms/boot rooms are etc.

Quickenthetempo wrote:Sounds like a dictatorship. Would using different entrances and stairs be allowed in any other business?

You are joking aren't you...


Aren't you?

MACCA wrote:You are joking aren't you...


Aren't you?

I'm really hoping he/she is.

Lets hope the lads in the youth team aren't so fragile that using a different door makes them burst into tears.

Thank god Patrick Bamford isn't still here.

Quickenthetempo with the current leader in the " daftest post of 2017"

Steve-Harpers-perm wrote:Thank god Patrick Bamford isn't still here.

Wouldn't be a problem with the new facilities, I'm told there is a box of tissues on reception with players are welcome to take some when required.

Quickenthetempo wrote:Sounds like a dictatorship. Would using different entrances and stairs be allowed in any other business?

Where I work, based in a DHL airfreight site, the office staff enter through the main reception area whilst the warehouse, yard, security and driving staff are expected to access through a gate round the side. Same swipe cards but with different access coding. Not at all unusual.

Cleveleys_claret wrote:Right so The Foundation had raised 10 million plus....never realised it was so profitable and fans were so generous. Hats off to you all you should be really proud of this legacy that you helped with

I think it has been going about 17 years so my contribution has been £1700 and if there are 3000 members that is £5million but I have no idea how many members there are

Dug this thread back out. I thought seven or eight points how wrong could be twenty plus. Helped with deals as well, Jack Cork very impressed plus could help keep Dyche possibly true.
I think these last few weeks we have had the weather would have really limited us outside and it looks as though where we hope to finish this season it's paid for itself after year one.