FFC’s new training facilities will 'rival any Premier League club’

[Friendsoffulham]

Fulham FC's new state-of-the-art training facilities will 'rival any Premier League club'



Premier League games are won and lost on the finest of margins.

Whether it's using special vacuum cleaners to suck up dust from players' hotel rooms or getting them to run underwater in special hydrotherapy pools, it seems club's need state of the art facilities and equipment to help their players get the edge at the highest level.

So it is with West London's Fulham FC, whose recent relegation to the Championship shows may have been lacking in certain key areas.

But the ambition shown in their plans for brand new training facilities suggests they could be bouncing back into the top flight very soon.

In fact the club has claimed the new facilities will be "comparable with other top flight clubs".

Planning permission has just been granted to start the work.

The new site, close to the existing facility in Motspur Park, will be used by the first team and under-23s - ending the current situation of overcrowding.

Fulham bought the current site while the club was in the third tier of English football.

Craven Cottage is hardly used for anything other than matches, and the club runs all other business from Motspur Park.

The existing site is limited by its size and the age of the buildings, and has left Fulham lagging behind other Premier League clubs.

Not having facilities like a hydrotherapy pool or underwater treadmills, the club argued in documents submitted to Kingston Council, are "essential in top level professional football grounds".

Fulham looked at leaving Motspur Park for a larger site further afield, in Elmbridge or Kingswood, but with the new development - on an old BBC staff sports ground - it will stay in the area and run across two sites.

The new ground will have five irrigated pitches (one with under-pitch heating), two areas for goalkeeping work and three ancillary training areas.

The main building will have gyms for fitness and rehab, medical treatment and physiotherapy rooms, cryotherapy and hydrotherapy, including a pool, hot and cold pools and a jacuzzi.

There will also be rooms for coaching, scouting, video and match analysis as well as security and kitchens.

The site was sold by the BBC in the late 1990s to become a private members club, but this was unsuccessful.

Other failed plans for the site included a crematorium, but the application was withdrawn.

In 2016, the pavilion building had to be demolished for safety reasons after being damaged in an arson attack.

Eventually, the site was bought by Fulham in 2017, who have been using it for training since 2018.

Building work will begin this summer, for the pitches to be used in the 2019/20 season. Other work will begin shortly afterwards.

https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/fulham-fcs-new-state-art-16197594.amp?__twitter_impression=true

[hovewhite]

Another ambitious building block all let down by the chairman's son when it comes to employing footballers!

[AnOldBrownie]

Great news for the Whites.

[The Rational Fan]

Another ambitious building block all let down by the chairman's son when it comes to employing footballers!

Didn't Brighton spent £77m on players this season?

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/brighton-amp-hove-albion/transfers/verein/1237

Brighton has the advantage of more players from last seasons squad premier league ready.

IMO, Fulham's £100.80m (£82.18m without Mitro) was better spent than Brighton's £77.63m. It's very hard for team facing relegation to get quality players under FFP rules; exempt FFP spending like training factilities, stadium and youth help a lot.

[The Rock]

Translation: The owners son is in charge of recruitment and we are running out of scapegoats and excuses. Believe in the new state of the art training facility!

[The Rational Fan]

Translation: The owners son is in charge of recruitment and we are running out of scapegoats and excuses. Believe in the new state of the art training facility!

Fulham came 3rd in Champisonhip in 17/18 and spent £82m on new players. We will get between 26 and 32 points.
Brighton came 15th in Premier League in 17/18 and spent £77m on new players. They will get between 35 and 36 points.

If Alfie Mawson played 32 games in the season and Glenn Murray spent most of the season injuried, we would be 17th.

A "new state of the art training facility" will make more difference than "£5m more on new players" that everyone overemphasies.

Who needs a scapegoat? We should never have expected to do much better than Brighton, a few away games blew our season.

[Statto]

@Rational Fan, I think you're barking up the wrong tree with the Brighton comparison. They've had just as many injury problems as us. They spent about 30% less than us and will get about 30% more points. They will stay up and we will go down. You cannot fudge those facts into anything that makes our performance this season look acceptable.

[The Rational Fan]

@Rational Fan, I think you're barking up the wrong tree with the Brighton comparison. They've had just as many injury problems as us. They spent about 30% less than us and will get about 30% more points. They will stay up and we will go down. You cannot fudge those facts into anything that makes our performance this season look acceptable.

True, but our new recruits averaged around 7.1 starting positions per game, and Brighton new recruits averaged around 3.5 starting positions per game. Maybe the lack of contribution of players from last years squad was a major factor of us vs Brighton rather than just recruitment. As for the 30% more points than us, Brighton were 9 points ahead of us after round 10, which is the same us now. They started better than us, and as for money spent on recruitment most of the difference is we bought Mitrovoic (which could be considered not an addition to the squad promoted from last season).

If you want to blame Tony Khan fine of course he is partly to blame, being better at recruitment than Brighton this season is not much to boost about (they also recruited badly this season), but blaming him is often shifting blame away from other problems like our away record that maybe more easily fixed.

[RaySmith]

We took 4 points off of Brighton this season, and that should really have been 6.

I the Championship, we were unlucky when we played them, but they managed to grind out results  against us  when we played the better football.

The main difference between the two teams this season, has been Brighton playing as a team, with a strong back four, and a  goal scorer up front, Murray, who got good service, unlike Mitro mainly.

But our problems stemmed from getting too many players in without having time to gel together as a team. As results didn't come for us, the players lost confidence, and the change in a manager with a completely different style of play to what the players were used to didn't help either.

Brighton have managed to stay up for a couple of seasons, and gain a foothold in the Prem, albeit tenuous. But while you manage to stay up, you can use the  income to strengthen,

Now, under Parker we are seeing  that  our players aren't that bad, with all the pressure off, and a bit of organisation, and playing to the players' strengths.

[toshes mate]

If football was played out in our imaginations then God (whoever s/he/it is) would have a perpetual headache.  As it is it is played out by a 'team' that is far greater than just the match day squad, a head coach and assistants.  All the assets involved in the team have value and some are worth their weight in gold, while others may be essential contributors too and not to be undervalued.  It is the purpose of the 'team' to see and show the whole sum of the assets in its best light, and training facilities are just one of many ways an individual may be impressed by when invited to play a role.  In my opinion these training facilities will be a wiser investment than many recently made in the Club's history.  I really do hope they are all state of the art and indicate how much of the Khans' vision is about attracting quality to FFC in all of its many guises.  As much as I dislike the chosen 'Riverside' plans I can see why it may be another stepping stone on the road to a better Craven Cottage.  None of these developments can be seen as anything other than good and welcome improvements with potential for the future.

Now all we need to do is get matters consistently right on the pitch too.

[KeenCottager]

Great we have purchased the land but I won't make further comment until the works have begun...

[The Rational Fan]

If football was played out in our imaginations then God (whoever s/he/it is) would have a perpetual headache.  As it is it is played out by a 'team' that is far greater than just the match day squad, a head coach and assistants.  All the assets involved in the team have value and some are worth their weight in gold, while others may be essential contributors too and not to be undervalued.  It is the purpose of the 'team' to see and show the whole sum of the assets in its best light, and training facilities are just one of many ways an individual may be impressed by when invited to play a role.  In my opinion these training facilities will be a wiser investment than many recently made in the Club's history.  I really do hope they are all state of the art and indicate how much of the Khans' vision is about attracting quality to FFC in all of its many guises.  As much as I dislike the chosen 'Riverside' plans I can see why it may be another stepping stone on the road to a better Craven Cottage.  None of these developments can be seen as anything other than good and welcome improvements with potential for the future.

Now all we need to do is get matters consistently right on the pitch too.

All i know is Cahill, Moses and Drinkwater walked around Motspur Park together, then they didn't sign with us. I suspect a win against Burnley and Tottenham would have changed their mind more, but better training ground would have made an impression.

[Woolly Mammoth]

If football was played out in our imaginations then God (whoever s/he/it is) would have a perpetual headache.  As it is it is played out by a 'team' that is far greater than just the match day squad, a head coach and assistants.  All the assets involved in the team have value and some are worth their weight in gold, while others may be essential contributors too and not to be undervalued.  It is the purpose of the 'team' to see and show the whole sum of the assets in its best light, and training facilities are just one of many ways an individual may be impressed by when invited to play a role.  In my opinion these training facilities will be a wiser investment than many recently made in the Club's history.  I really do hope they are all state of the art and indicate how much of the Khans' vision is about attracting quality to FFC in all of its many guises.  As much as I dislike the chosen 'Riverside' plans I can see why it may be another stepping stone on the road to a better Craven Cottage.  None of these developments can be seen as anything other than good and welcome improvements with potential for the future.

Now all we need to do is get matters consistently right on the pitch too.

All i know is Cahill, Moses and Drinkwater walked around Motspur Park together, then they didn't sign with us. I suspect a win against Burnley and Tottenham would have changed their mind more, but better training ground would have made an impression.

So would having a better and proper professional head of recruitment. !!

[70sPimlico]

If football was played out in our imaginations then God (whoever s/he/it is) would have a perpetual headache.  As it is it is played out by a 'team' that is far greater than just the match day squad, a head coach and assistants.  All the assets involved in the team have value and some are worth their weight in gold, while others may be essential contributors too and not to be undervalued.  It is the purpose of the 'team' to see and show the whole sum of the assets in its best light, and training facilities are just one of many ways an individual may be impressed by when invited to play a role.  In my opinion these training facilities will be a wiser investment than many recently made in the Club's history.  I really do hope they are all state of the art and indicate how much of the Khans' vision is about attracting quality to FFC in all of its many guises.  As much as I dislike the chosen 'Riverside' plans I can see why it may be another stepping stone on the road to a better Craven Cottage.  None of these developments can be seen as anything other than good and welcome improvements with potential for the future.

Now all we need to do is get matters consistently right on the pitch too.

I agree with these comments other than the riverside design. I respect your views and accept other peoples perception on design...but surprised there are some that dont like it. I'm no architect but many stands seem to date very quickly (thank god we didnt go ahead with the Fayed era stand), this seems to have a certain style to it that will always look good.

I do happen to think that building this stand will be one of the biggest things to happen to the club and the training facility for that matter

[The Rational Fan]

If football was played out in our imaginations then God (whoever s/he/it is) would have a perpetual headache.  As it is it is played out by a 'team' that is far greater than just the match day squad, a head coach and assistants.  All the assets involved in the team have value and some are worth their weight in gold, while others may be essential contributors too and not to be undervalued.  It is the purpose of the 'team' to see and show the whole sum of the assets in its best light, and training facilities are just one of many ways an individual may be impressed by when invited to play a role.  In my opinion these training facilities will be a wiser investment than many recently made in the Club's history.  I really do hope they are all state of the art and indicate how much of the Khans' vision is about attracting quality to FFC in all of its many guises.  As much as I dislike the chosen 'Riverside' plans I can see why it may be another stepping stone on the road to a better Craven Cottage.  None of these developments can be seen as anything other than good and welcome improvements with potential for the future.

Now all we need to do is get matters consistently right on the pitch too.

All i know is Cahill, Moses and Drinkwater walked around Motspur Park together, then they didn't sign with us. I suspect a win against Burnley and Tottenham would have changed their mind more, but better training ground would have made an impression.

So would having a better and proper professional head of recruitment. !!

Tony Khan is effectively a multi-billionaire, o doubt sacking him and repacing him with some multi millionaire would encourage anyone to sign.

[Sting of the North]

If football was played out in our imaginations then God (whoever s/he/it is) would have a perpetual headache.  As it is it is played out by a 'team' that is far greater than just the match day squad, a head coach and assistants.  All the assets involved in the team have value and some are worth their weight in gold, while others may be essential contributors too and not to be undervalued.  It is the purpose of the 'team' to see and show the whole sum of the assets in its best light, and training facilities are just one of many ways an individual may be impressed by when invited to play a role.  In my opinion these training facilities will be a wiser investment than many recently made in the Club's history.  I really do hope they are all state of the art and indicate how much of the Khans' vision is about attracting quality to FFC in all of its many guises.  As much as I dislike the chosen 'Riverside' plans I can see why it may be another stepping stone on the road to a better Craven Cottage.  None of these developments can be seen as anything other than good and welcome improvements with potential for the future.

Now all we need to do is get matters consistently right on the pitch too.

All i know is Cahill, Moses and Drinkwater walked around Motspur Park together, then they didn't sign with us. I suspect a win against Burnley and Tottenham would have changed their mind more, but better training ground would have made an impression.

Do we actually know this, or do we just know that someone claimed this to be true?

[toshes mate]

If football was played out in our imaginations then God (whoever s/he/it is) would have a perpetual headache.  As it is it is played out by a 'team' that is far greater than just the match day squad, a head coach and assistants.  All the assets involved in the team have value and some are worth their weight in gold, while others may be essential contributors too and not to be undervalued.  It is the purpose of the 'team' to see and show the whole sum of the assets in its best light, and training facilities are just one of many ways an individual may be impressed by when invited to play a role.  In my opinion these training facilities will be a wiser investment than many recently made in the Club's history.  I really do hope they are all state of the art and indicate how much of the Khans' vision is about attracting quality to FFC in all of its many guises.  As much as I dislike the chosen 'Riverside' plans I can see why it may be another stepping stone on the road to a better Craven Cottage.  None of these developments can be seen as anything other than good and welcome improvements with potential for the future.

Now all we need to do is get matters consistently right on the pitch too.

All i know is Cahill, Moses and Drinkwater walked around Motspur Park together, then they didn't sign with us. I suspect a win against Burnley and Tottenham would have changed their mind more, but better training ground would have made an impression.

Do we actually know this, or do we just know that someone claimed this to be true?

Regardless of the truth of the situation the Cobham facilities are already 'state of the art' and encompass both the male and female sides of the game.  Perhaps the outline drawings of what Motspur Park will soon hopefully be were just not captivating enough for players who already know what caviar tastes like.

[Sting of the North]

If football was played out in our imaginations then God (whoever s/he/it is) would have a perpetual headache.  As it is it is played out by a 'team' that is far greater than just the match day squad, a head coach and assistants.  All the assets involved in the team have value and some are worth their weight in gold, while others may be essential contributors too and not to be undervalued.  It is the purpose of the 'team' to see and show the whole sum of the assets in its best light, and training facilities are just one of many ways an individual may be impressed by when invited to play a role.  In my opinion these training facilities will be a wiser investment than many recently made in the Club's history.  I really do hope they are all state of the art and indicate how much of the Khans' vision is about attracting quality to FFC in all of its many guises.  As much as I dislike the chosen 'Riverside' plans I can see why it may be another stepping stone on the road to a better Craven Cottage.  None of these developments can be seen as anything other than good and welcome improvements with potential for the future.

Now all we need to do is get matters consistently right on the pitch too.

All i know is Cahill, Moses and Drinkwater walked around Motspur Park together, then they didn't sign with us. I suspect a win against Burnley and Tottenham would have changed their mind more, but better training ground would have made an impression.

Do we actually know this, or do we just know that someone claimed this to be true?

Regardless of the truth of the situation the Cobham facilities are already 'state of the art' and encompass both the male and female sides of the game.  Perhaps the outline drawings of what Motspur Park will soon hopefully be were just not captivating enough for players who already know what caviar tastes like.

Perhaps so. I agree that only good can come from this if true.

[ScalleysDad]

I wonder if after all the millions have been spent somebody remembers to put a left and right corner quadrant on a ridiculous slight rise with artificial grass almost to the corner flag and then boarding put up to within a metre or so of the flag for corner taking practice? If somebody has then hurrah but then can we buy someone who can take one.

[Statto]

I wonder if after all the millions have been spent somebody remembers to put a left and right corner quadrant on a ridiculous slight rise with artificial grass almost to the corner flag and then boarding put up to within a metre or so of the flag for corner taking practice? If somebody has then hurrah but then can we buy someone who can take one.

0001.jpeg