for a new £8 million redevelopment at Bodymoor Heath in two phases and promised that “world class training standards” would soon be in place.
Unfortunately fate intervened and the 2005-2006
Premier League Championship performance of Villa, was well below the predicted 10th-12th place. With the club ending the season in 16th position, Doug Ellis decided that the already scaled down construction plans at Bodymoor would be halted. In September of 2006 Aston Villa was purchased by Randolph Lerner and the club announced that the shelved project would recommence with immediate effect. By May 2007 the brand new multi-million pound indoor training complex was unveiled to an eagerly awaiting press. The new development now offers every possible modern facility and luxury that sports science can offer for advanced training. Hard on the heels of completed building work are the highly advanced all weather outdoor pitches currently under construction. These are due to be completed by July 2008 and will offer Aston Villa the opportunity to train on playing surfaces which are truly ‘world class’ and will certainly equal Villa Park Stadium standards to give total consistency on both training and home match days.
The new work is being watched with enormous interest by the three full time grounds staff at Bodymoor Heath consisting of Steve Harper, Graeme Farmer and Karl Prescott. It will be their responsibility to maintain the new surfaces as well as manage the traditional indigenous natural grass surfaces, currently still being used by the first and second team together with the juniors. When the new pitches are finished, the old ones will be used by the Academy players who will also have use of a new enclosed UEFA 2 Star synthetic pitch recently completed. This is constructed on a concrete base supporting a rubber shock pan on which is laid the sand and rubber crumb filled synthetic turf surface. The remaining work will now focus on constructing two floodlit FibreSand natural grass pitches with full irrigation and under pitch heating, and a Desso Grassmaster pitch which will be identical to the one installed at Villa Park in 2006. In addition there will be new integral goalkeeping practice areas; the whole new outdoor facilty being
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