The location, off Academy Way, where the senior squad, B Team, and Academy work every day, is the subject of some “exciting plans,” as Ian Evatt has intimated.
The site’s access has recently changed as a result of construction work being done on nearby property, creating a new intersection.
However, there are plans to make improvements to the drainage and pitch quality inside the complex, as these have been a persistent problem during the winter.
In order to reconstruct the “dome,” an indoor training facility that was destroyed during Storm Malik in January 2022, efforts are still underway to settle an insurance claim.
Additionally, plans are on to expand the gym, which, like the dome, was initially built with funding from the Lifeline and Goldline Lottery programmes.
“Ian and I have talked about the training ground on a regular basis, and I know he has mentioned it recently in the press that there will be some changes afoot,” CEO Neil Hart clarified. “Pitching has a capital expenditure budget set out for it, and we will raise the standard as needed.
The restoration of the dome down there and the insurance from the storm many years ago are still projects we are working on. It is a continuous story.
“However, the board is undoubtedly eager to enhance Lostock, and we have been doing so annually for the past few years. We want to provide them with the greatest atmosphere we can because it is their home and our bread and butter from Monday through Friday.
“We have the funds to renovate and improve the playing fields at Lostock, as well as add additional gym space to give the players a better environment.”
Hart has further stated that although Wanderers do not currently have any intentions to revert their academy classification to Category Two, they may do so in the event that their petition to rejoin the Championship is successful.
In an attempt to save money, the club reduced its size in the summer of 2015 after receiving a Category One rating in 2012. The team’s current owners, Football Ventures, decided against developing an Under-23s development squad and instead decided to switch to Category Three in early 2020, forming the B Team as a transitional group between the Under-18s and seniors.
Hart thinks it will be looked at once more in the future.
He said to us, “It isn’t on our short-term list, so we aren’t talking about it right now, but I’m sure the club will revisit it in the future. I believe the topic would be brought up once more if we were to, say, advance to the Championship level and establish ourselves there.
At that point, I think we would discuss moving it to Cat Two and then come up with a plan for what comes next. Facilities, in my opinion, will put an end to that conversation, but not anytime soon.
