Portsmouth chief details next phase of training ground 'master plan' with more progress eyed

And the chief executive has intimated the club are eyeing more land to improve facilities at their Roko base.

Work has been taking place to overhaul the Blues’ Copnor Road home since the freehold was acquired in 2021, with Cullen stating investment has now reached around £5m.

That builds on the work carried out in community ownership, after a long-term lease was signed in 2014 to finally secure the club their own facility.

The health club on site has been rebranded Pompey Health & Fitness Club with upgrading the gym and swimming pool and facilities the initial focus.

Work has since moved on to creating a new gym for the players, lecture threatre, medical facilities, analysis site and common room with the academy moving into the main building.

With some of the existing 3G pitches previously used by PlayFootball now used as a car park, there’s other projects in the pipeline with more grass pitches potentially on the agenda, according to Cullen.

Speaking in a Pompey YouTube Q&A, he said: ‘We have a big master plan for this site.

‘The first phase for that, now we’ve done the small improvements over the summer, the next big phase is to move the players and the first team out of the Portakabins and move them into the main building.

‘That will enable us to put new analysis rooms in there and new suites, new offices and move the academy there to create a dedicated space. We’ll have a gym and medical facilities as well.

‘The only person who’s there on his own is Rich Hughes, who has a fabulous view of the training pitches which I’m sure will be requisitioned by the head coach!

‘So that’s the first project and once we’ve done that we can begin to look at what we do with the area previously occupied by PlayFootball, the pitches there and be ready to look at what we can do with 3G and potentially other projects.

‘We would like to get a bit of extra land as well and then we can improve the number of grass pitches on top of that. That’s a big project we continue to work really hard on.’

Cullen explained how the onus has to fall on him to manage the various improvements at Pompey, with the training ground one strand of a bigger picture.

The £12.5m Fratton Park redevelopment continues with the Eisner’s investment currently standing at £28m - all in equity - since arriving in 2017.

He added: ‘I think one thing to say is where we are in terms of our capital investment so far.

‘Fratton Park has been a project in terms of those improvements which will top £12.5m. There was a big expenditure not just in terms of purchasing the training ground, but also in terms of the refurbishment to the health club and what needs to be done upstairs still. You’re talking again probably another £5m has been spent so far, in terms of the training ground.

‘We’ve got big commitments. We’ve got a TV gantry we need to complete and the area at the training ground we want to do as well. We want to explore new pitches - that’s collateral with the TV gantry.

‘That all requires investment. Most businesses will fund capital investments out of profits, but as a football club we don’t have profits. So I’m hugely dependent on Michael to fund it and he’s done everything through equity and not debt, which is great news for the football club going forward.

‘But I need to plan this over a number of years. We can’t just switch the tap on and go, go go on everything.

‘There’s lots of competing projects. The groundsmen want the pitches, the first team want the buildings, the broadcasters want the TV gantry and the caterers are keen to develop the Victory Lounge and kitchens so we can put on more non-matchday facilities and improve the matchday experience as well. All those things have to be costed out and planned over the next few years, but that’s what I’m doing.

‘We’ve got the plan and the projects and I have to make sure I get the balance right. The board can then fund the right projects at the right time.’