Scotland ace's seven-figure transfer to help fund Premiership club's training base as ambitious plans shared

The Scotland international emerged from the renowned Fir Park academy and was sold last summer for a club-record fee of around £4.7m, including add-ons. Amid a strong season in the Premiership under manager Jens Berthel Askou who’s side currently sit fourth, Motherwell have submitted planning permission over a multi-million pound development in the Dalziel Park estate where they currently train. A consultation hearing is set for April 17th after draft proposals were submitted to North Lanarkshire Council last month, and the Miller sale will partly fund the facility.

Currently, players travel from the club’s Fir Park stadium to Dalziel, but new plans would include the construction of a new building that will provide changing rooms, a gym, offices, a treatment room, analysis and meeting rooms and an overview of the pitches from a balcony. Canteen and kitchen facilities would also be included and one pitch would change from grass to synthetic 3G.

What has been said about new Motherwell training ground?

“Motherwell Football Club is a professional football club founded in 1886,” it’s stated in the design statement made available by North Lanarkshire Council. “The men’s team play in the SPFL and the women’s team play in the SWFL. The club currently lease training pitches at Dalziel Sports Grounds however changing facilities are provided at the stadium, Fir Park. The overall aim of the project is to provide a new training facility suited to the professional needs of the club at Dalziel Sports Ground.

“The brief also includes for the transformation of 1no. grass pitch to a synthetic surface. This will provide a local facility for the Women’s team as well as year round use for academy and youth set-ups. The Project Vision is to create a professional level training centre and facilities that represent the ambition and ethos of the club. The proposals should bring the team management and day-day first team and academy operations together in one building. The key strategic drivers for the project are as follows; to provide high standards of facilities for players and staff, eeduce running costs and hire costs for the club, reduce operational carbon footprint of the club, opportunity to develop the existing use of the site at Dalziel Sports Ground and offer enhanced facilities for Women’s Team, Academy and Community teams, the fan-owned club model and the Community Trust will be key to the development and delivery of the project.

“The proposals presented here have underwent a robust process of development, consultation and refinement in order to meet and evolve the client brief. The need for the works have been evidenced through MFC’s business plan and future vision strategies for the men’s team, academy and women’s team. They represent the first phase of a long term plan to develop the site and the club facilities to build on the on-going success and sustainability of the club.

What Jens Berthel Askou has said about new Motherwell training ground

“The building as planned would be fully accessible to all users and would maximise the opportunities within the existing site and building envelope for greater self-sustainability. The proposed development provides MFC with a more professional and sustainable facility which will help attract and retain talent in North Lanarkshire. The proposal’s build and improve on the established use of the site and provide a vision for it’s medium to long term future as the base for MFC’s training activities. It also commits support to the site owner and the community / public used pitches and facilities. The proposals have been designed in response to NPF4 and North Lanarkshire Local Development Plan. They aim to enhance the character of the site for sports and recreation while being sensitive and compact in response to the green belt setting.”

Askou admits his team would benefit without having to factor in travel to and from Fir Park during their build-up to matches. They take on league leader Hearts at Tynecastle this weekend as they bid to maintain their place in the final European spot.

“Obviously when it rains, it really rains in Scotland,” said the Motherwell manager. “Even though our pitch out here struggles a little bit with grass, it's getting better now. Our groundsmen have done a tremendous job to really try and keep us, first of all, on grass. We've been on astro pitches five, six, seven times in total this season for training, which from what I hear from other clubs is incredible.

“We have a facility there but obviously we need to get everything in the same location so we don't go back and forward. We obviously need to lift where we are if we want to be ambitious going forward. I salute and I am obviously also part of that process that is pushing for lifting things outside the pitch. That's the foundation for us to over time being ambitious with the results.”