A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness. They also sometimes form part of a club's youth system , as clubs consider it important to have good facilities to aid the development of young players.
4-606: Clayton Wood is the training ground and academy of EFL Championship club Stoke City . In January 2009, Stoke City unveiled plans to redevelop their training ground at an initial cost of £5 million. Stoke City were given planning permission by the Stoke-on-Trent City Council to construct the facility in May 2009; Stoke had previously been renting the site from the Michelin Tyre company. The facility
8-445: A European away game, both for the benefit of the media and to become familiar with the surface. There have been several high-profile incidents, at training grounds, where players have been injured in disputes between teammates. Joey Barton was given a suspended prison sentence, on 1 July 2008, for an assault on teammate Ousmane Dabo on Manchester City's training ground and Andy Carroll broke teammate Steven Taylor 's jaw in
12-461: A £12 million improvement to Clayton Wood. The expansion works began in November 2024 and will included the construction of a new pavilion. Training ground (association football) Training grounds are usually separate from a team's stadium , as clubs use the facilities to avoid overusing the stadium's pitch . However, teams usually train inside the opposing team's stadium on the day before
16-533: Was designed by AFL architects who had previously designed Chelsea 's Cobham Training Centre and Everton 's Finch Farm . The centre was built in time for the start of the 2010–11 season . In April 2012, Stoke announced £6 million expansions plans in order to meet the category one criteria in the Elite Player Performance Plan . In November 2015, further plans were announced to expand the facility. In summer of 2024 plans were unveiled for
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