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Report: Leeds ready to splash £25m+ on project, documents must be submitted within 12 months
Leeds United are ready to spend over £25million on building themselves a new training ground just a stone’s throw away from Elland Road, according to LeedsLive.
The news outlet reports that in September last year, Leeds City Council formally agreed to sell the former Matthew Murray High School site – a five-minute walk from Elland Road – to Leeds United.
Greenfield Investment, who own the Whites, are now understood to be investigating the site further to ensure that it is feasible to move from Thorp Arch to there with behind-the-scenes talks going on.
LeedsLive adds that the next stage will be to apply for planning permission and, according to council documents, that must be submitted within the next 12 months.
Basically, it still sounds as though Leeds are a long way away from being able to move from Thorp Arch to the Matthew Murray site just across the M621.
Leeds opened Thorp Arch, he brainchild of Howard Wilkinson, in 1994 and while the Yorkshire giants boast having top-class facilities that has helped them achieve category A status for their academy, the training ground is quite far away from Elland Road.
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Thorp Arch is just outside of Wetherby, which is roughly a half-hour drive for those players who have access to cars.
But for the younger players who are still attending school, are unable to drive and don’t have anyone available to them for lifts, it can be quite a nightmare.
If Leeds were to move to a new training headquarters just across the road from Elland Road then we don’t see how that could be a disadvantage in any way.
It will be a sad day to see the Yorkshire club move away from Thorp Arch, the Whites’ home away from home for 26 years, there’s nothing wrong with getting with the times and starting afresh in a location that makes a lot more sense.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has shared what Marcelo Bielsa told Victor Orta when signing Raphinha was suggested to him.