The club has invested heavily in the 40-acre Eddie Davies Academy since it was officially opened in 2008, moving their first team to the facility in 2016 after the £2.2million sale of their previous premises at Euxton.
Though the land remains council-owned, money has gone into improving the playing surfaces and drainage over the summer and renovating several of the semi-permanent buildings which make up the club’s offices, meeting rooms, physio’s room, gym and canteen.
Still, there’s a lot of room for development. Recent construction near the site has raised concerns about vehicle access, and obtaining permission and cooperation for additional work has frequently proven difficult in this still predominately residential neighbourhood.
Evatt, nevertheless, is still certain that Lostock can undergo constructive changes that will align with the club’s current trajectory.
He stated, “I think it could be an incredible facility,” to The Bolton News. The available space is excellent.
“It will require a significant financial outlay and a distinct setup, but I believe it might be truly unique.
It’s very exciting that there are a lot of discussions going on about how to proceed with that.
The indoor training facility, built in 2017 and paid for by the Bolton Wanderers Development Authority, an autonomous company supported by the Lifeline and Goldline Lotteries, sustained major damage in January 2022 due to Storm Malik.
The BWDA invested about £400,000 in the project and had previously assisted in transforming Euxton, which was once known as the ROF Chorley Sports Ground, into a Premier League calibre training facility over a 15-year period.
For the course of the academy’s five years of existence, players of all ages used the “Bubble,” which allowed them to train indoors on a 4G playing surface. However, because to a convoluted insurance claim, the location has been in limbo since the hurricane.
Evatt acknowledges that the dome would have been useful during the past few months, but she has not yet received word on if or when the issue will be resolved.
He stated, “To the best of my knowledge, they are still in the process, and we are not permitted to touch the area at this time.” “We are aware of what transpired, and we had no control over the storm.
“We are really missing it since training might be heavily impacted by this type of weather; being able to stay inside and continue with business as usual would be fantastic.
“I find it extremely fascinating because discussions about Lostock and how we carry it forward are happening all the time. It’s ready for that, in my opinion, and the board has accepted that it can be made better.
Although we are now unable to disclose many of the behind-the-scenes events, we are currently having extensive discussions about a wide range of topics, with Lostock undoubtedly being one of them.
Leave a Reply