Sheffield United's training ground upgrade shows determination to catch the club up to the team

Manager Chris Wilder believes the new facilities will help give the Blades' training base since 2002 “a Premier League feel”.

Wilder has spoken recently about how the club needs to catch up with the progress made by its first team this season, and signing off the revamp even given the financial uncertainties around the club is an indication of their determination to do so.

Improving the complex, which opened in 2002, was objective before the pandemic. As well as the first team it hosts the club's academy and it's women's team, and in the longer-term, a new training ground will be needed. The Blades want to achieve category one Academy status, but there is not enough room at Shirecliffe to do that.

A new two-storey building will comprise of a gym, training area, physiotherapy, and hydrotherapy zones, as well as office facilities.

"This is will be a great addition to our armoury and will aid in giving the training ground a Premier League feel,” said Wilder. “We are delighted that the board have given supported this development and are hopeful that the additional elements that come with the new building will help us move to the next level."

The Blades, who were in League One as recently as 2017, have achieved their highest Premier League and if they beat Southampton on the season's final day, it will be the highest they have finished since 1975.

They are determined not to stand still. The club broke their transfer record for the fifth time in two transfer windows in January, paying £23m for Sander Berge, and while Wilder has warned fans not expect similar fees in the first post-covid window, the latest off-field development is a sign they are determined not to stand still.

"The training centre will be a key factor in the next phase of the club's progressive ambition of becoming a permanent member of the Premier League,” explained chief executive Stephen Bettis. “It will serve to ultimately sharpen our competitive edge."

The new building will sit between the two existing structures and will be built off-site to minimise disruption in the first half of next season.

Prince Abdullah bin Musa'ad bin Abdul Aziz bought the training ground along with a number of other club properties this summer as part of the deal which saw him take ownership of the Blades from previous chairman Kevin McCabe.

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