🚆 Training Ground

[smartspud]

Can someone explain to me why we're spending a lot of money on a training ground that doesn't belong to us.
Could we spend all that money then get kicked off at the collages whimm?
Even if we have a lease I would have thought it would have to be very long to balance against our investment.
Why doesn't the college improve their ground, they have money and it's theirs at the end of the day?
PS I know we need improved facilities, but that's not the tome of this message.

[Tom Shaw's Fist of Rage]

Sept 7, 2022 23:15:48 GMT smartspud said:

Can someone explain to me why we're spending a lot of money on a training ground that doesn't belong to us.
Could we spend all that money then get kicked off at the collages whimm?
Even if we have a lease I would have thought it would have to be very long to balance against our investment.
Why doesn't the college improve their ground, they have money and it's theirs at the end of the day?
PS I know we need improved facilities, but that's not the tome of this message.

I'd be very surprised if the work was done without an agreement in place. As to why they aren't doing it themselves - a university doesn't require the same level of facilities as a professional football club.

[Jerry1971]

Sept 7, 2022 23:15:48 GMT smartspud said:

Can someone explain to me why we're spending a lot of money on a training ground that doesn't belong to us.
Could we spend all that money then get kicked off at the collages whimm?
Even if we have a lease I would have thought it would have to be very long to balance against our investment.
Why doesn't the college improve their ground, they have money and it's theirs at the end of the day?
PS I know we need improved facilities, but that's not the tome of this message.

I lease an office building in central Cambridge for my business. It doesn't belong to me (it is owned by a Cambridge college as so much commercial property is around here) and my lease is only ten years long at any one time which again is not unusual for a commercial lease. Over the past few years I've had the building re-decorated, re-furbished, re-furnished, CCTV fitted and other 'capital' improvements made too. Many business leases are on a 'full repairing' basis. What I'm trying to say is that even if you don't have the freehold of a particular premises, you will almost certainly incurr costs in operating it and above all you will certainly incurr costs in making it fit for the purpose you wish to use it for.

Above all, I get the impression we have an excellent relationship between CUFC and Clare College which is, I am sure, of huge mutual benefit.

[UIE]

I know construction prices have gone up a bit recently, but 2 million still sounds like it should go a long way. I'm looking forward to hearing more about what it will involve. It looks like the current setup consists of various temporary structures. One would think that, along with the fancy Bentley Road approach, it will create a very positive first impression.

[fatherjhackett]

Clare's endowment is c. £300m. All Cambridge colleges are characterised by a measure of evil. In my experience, Clare is one of the less wicked. The Universitry is a separate entity, mind, & is saturated in Satan's works.

[El Goodo]

Pure speculation but, given how often we've been unable to train over the past few years when the weather's been bad, I'd imagine this upgrade will be focused around addressing that. Improved drainage, perhaps an all-weather pitch/area... things like that.

[Andrewlang]

Yeah, keen to see what the upgrade involves. I was only half listening to his update but I think Alex Tunbridge said it's not even the standard you would expect for the league below which surprises me.

Andrew

[svh]

Yeah he said a new building will be built subject to planning permission. Obviously drainage will be a big part of the investment too.

[groundsman]

An all weather football pitch would cost a million pound that’s not happening

[Andrewlang]

We're investing 2m aren't we?

Andrew.

[groundsman]

What in the training ground

[Andrewlang]

Yeah, I believe PAM (Paul, Adam, Mark) announced the investment back in May..?

Andrew

[groundsman]

Our relationship with Clare college is to be admired like our league position we are punching well above our weight to obtain a reasonable long term lease with a Cambridge college is no mean achievement

[smartspud]

Sept 8, 2022 13:47:41 GMT groundsman said:

Our relationship with Clare college is to be admired like our league position we are punching well above our weight to obtain a reasonable long term lease with a Cambridge college is no mean achievement

Is that what is happening. If so then the situation is a little more understandable. ARE YOU SURE?

[El Goodo]

Training Ground:
The Club took the Shadow Board through the plans for the training ground. The Owners are planning to make an investment of over £2m to fund a new purpose built training centre at the Clare College site. This would be built off site with construction on site in the close season. This is subject to planning approval and an application would be submitted shortly.

There have been detailed discussions with the Council and the College over recent months, particularly around the sustainability of the building. This project is currently the biggest property priority for the Club given the amount of time that the playing side spend at Clare, and the coaching staff had been very involved in the design of the building to reflect their needs. Ben Strang and Alex Tunbridge have visited a number of other clubs’ training facilities over recent months.