Pompey intends to construct an indoor coaching facility at their training location in Hilsea.
Nonetheless, the Blues would still have cancelled their private match against non-league Aldershot last month even if the much-desired amenity had existed.After the decision to postpone the game due to a frozen pitch at the training site, the team received backlash from some segments of the fan base.
The game was scheduled to provide players like Anthony Scully, Tom Lowery, and Connor Ogilvie some much-needed game experience following protracted injury absences. On the day of the game, though, the weather made play impossible.
The cancellation served as a pretext for some fans to criticise the team for the amenities now provided by the renamed Pompey Health & Fitness Club. However, sporting director Rich Hughes stated that an indoor training dome would not have allowed for such a game during his remarks at the most recent Tony Goodall Fans’ Conference. He also emphasised that the frigid weather did not force the cancellation of any first-team training sessions.Hughes stated: “I know there was a lot of discussion about this on the internet, but very little football was played that day—many games were called off across the nation.”
“We had the option to play the friendly on a 3G pitch, but we only wanted to do that on a grass pitch so as not to aggravate their injuries.” Our primary goal for the game was to help players recover from injuries.
Even if we had a 3G indoor pitch, we wouldn’t have played it there. That week, the first team squad trained as usual; we didn’t lose any training time.
Pompey has invested millions of pounds to upgrade the facilities since purchasing the former Roko site for £3 million in 2021. The first team’s premier working environment has been the team’s top objective. The integration of all first-team activities into the main structure is anticipated to cost an additional £1 million. This will enable the club to eliminate the portakabins that currently house John Mousinho & Co. and add even more area for pitches.
Chief executive Andy Cullen stated that a projected dome is a part of the Blues’ long-term strategy, but no timeline or further information has been disclosed to the public. Additionally, he confirmed Hughes’ claim that the Aldershot friendly cancellation could not have been resolved with an indoor training pitch.
“Going forward, we have the ambition to do a number of different projects,” Cullen stated. Our goal is to have the training ground enclosed by a dome. The first team will soon be fully integrated into the training ground’s main facility, which will allow us to remove the portacabins they presently occupy and make additional grass available. Additionally, there is extra room where the previous Play Football facilities stood. We are also keeping up a conversation about upcoming developments with our neighbours.
I don’t believe that the above-mentioned friendly’s issue could have been resolved with a dome. As Rich has said, we never would have played such a game in a dome or over 3G. The classroom is where 3G is most helpful. Because our academy trains in the evenings and requires floodlit facilities, they hire five different locations every week. Although having an indoor dome would be costly, keeping it in-house would save on rental fees.
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