Cobblers expect new training facilities to be ready in time for next season

Cobblers chairman Kelvin Thomas expects the club’s new training ground facilities to be ready in time for the start of the 2023/24 League One season.

Last autumn, the club unveiled plans for their first ever private training base and building at Moulton College. Until 2017, when an agreement was first reached to train at Moulton, Northampton had no training base and used various different pitches on an ad hoc basis. They acquired two additional pitches during the 2020/21 season and will soon have their own private facility at the college.

The building will include specialist physio and analysis space, changing rooms, offices for the coaches and a dedicated area for injured players to recover. There will also be a team room which would mean players and coaches can train and eat all in the same place, something that doesn’t currently happen.

Providing a general update regarding off-field developments at last week’s Open House event, Thomas said: "There is progress being made with some exciting improvements to our infrastructure off the field.

"The planning processes for the big screens have now been completed. The survey for the outside screen has been completed, we have had one survey for the screen inside the stadium and if nothing gets thrown up we are looking at the start of the season for that. Things took a little longer we hoped but that can happen.

"The planning process is under way for the installation of a mini pitch behind the LCS Commercial Dave Bowen Stand which was part of the club's prize for the European More Than Football Award.

"Up at Moulton, the lease for the training ground building has been agreed, builders have contracted and we expect things to be ready for the start of the season. The coaching staff have been involved in the process and it is exciting times, this is the first time the club will have had its own building at the training ground and that is fantastic progress.

"We are also looking forward to a busy day on July 15th. It will be our Open Day, the new PUMA away kit will be revealed and we will have a double header on the pitch when the men's first team playing Leicester City and the women's first team will then play Cambridge United. We are committed to staging more women's games at Sixfields this season and we are excited about that.”