Leeds Utd to open talks about new training ground

A new Leeds United training ground in Holbeck is on the horizon with early talks set to get underway between the club and the council.If approved by members of Leeds City Council’s executive board next week (Wednesday 18 October 2017), the local authority and the club will open talks regarding the former home of Matthew Murray High School in south Leeds potentially becoming the club’s official training facilities for senior and academy players.Currently Leeds United train at Thorp Arch near Wetherby.The Matthew Murray site which is owned by the council has been disused since the school’s buildings were demolished in 2005/2006.A separate site at Elland Road’s Fullerton Park, which is also owned by the council, has been identified by the club as a potential base for a ‘Community Sports Village’. Used also by the academy for weeknight training, this site would become primarily the hub of Leeds United Foundation’s sporting and educational programmes and would support the club’s aim to be at the heart of the local community. It is proposed that both the Matthew Murray Training Ground and Community Sports Village would be designed and delivered to ‘category one’ status – a requirement of the Premier League for training and academy facilities by 2020. If a provisional agreement is reached for both sites, it is initially proposed that the council, subject to planning approval being granted would enter into a lease agreement with the club for a period of 99 years.