£50m Training Ground Merge With Academy

EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool set to transform Kirkby Academy into £50million first-team training complex
Reds to move away from Melwood as owners back Klopp's vision

Liverpool are set to transform the Kirkby Academy into a state-of-the-art training complex for both the first team and youth set-ups.

The ambitious £50million project will see the Reds move away from their historic home of Melwood, which has been the club’s training base since the 1950s.

Boss Jürgen Klopp has been the driving force behind the decision to amalgamate the club’s two training facilities and owners Fenway Sports Group have committed the funds to make his dream a reality.

The ECHO understands that Liverpool have reached an agreement with Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council over the scope of work and funding. Heads of terms will be finalised once a public consultation period is completed.


Liverpool FC plans to relocate its first team training facilities from its historical home at Melwood to playing fields north of its current academy site on land between Simonswood Lane and Moss Lane. Photo by James Maloney

Liverpool intend to purchase 14 acres of land at Simonswood Playing Fields at the rear of the Academy in order to expand the size of the current site in Kirkby to around 60 acres. The plans have been drawn up by London-based architects KSS, who designed Anfield’s new Main Stand.

As part of the scheme Liverpool will upgrade the remaining community football pitches nearby and build new changing facilities and a car park. The surrounding area will also get a facelift with new walking and cycling paths created.

Local residents in Kirkby and Melwood will soon receive letters advising them of the club’s proposals.


Liverpool FC are set to purchase 14 acres of Simonswood playing fields in Kirkby. Graphic showing the proposed area and its proximity to the current Academy

A planning application will be submitted to Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council within the next few months and if it gets the green light then the redevelopment of Kirkby will start in early 2018.

Work would be completed by the summer of 2019 with Liverpool’s first-team squad making the switch to Kirkby for pre-season training ahead of the 2019/20 season.

The Reds’ move would be accompanied by the sale of Melwood in West Derby, which is a prime site to help address the shortage of high quality family homes in the area. Everton did the same with Bellefield when they left for their new training facility at Finch Farm in 2007.

The existing Academy buildings at Kirkby are set to remain and be refurbished with the first-team training centre built nearby. The facilities will include a new covered artificial pitch, a pool and hydrotherapy complex, gymnasium and specialist sports rehabilitation suites.


The front entrance to Liverpool FC's Melwood training Complex

Architects KSS specialise in major sports venues and training facilities. As well as Anfield’s Main Stand, they worked on London’s Olympic Stadium, Stamford Bridge, Twickenham, the No 1 Court at Wimbledon and Tottenham’s new stadium.

Significantly, they also designed Spurs’ 77-acre Bulls Cross training complex in Enfield which opened in 2012 and is home to both their first team and Academy.

Melwood’s detachment from the Academy - they are separated by five miles - has been a source of frustration for Klopp since his appointment as Reds boss in October 2015. He wants everyone - from the under-nines through to the first-team - together at one training complex.

Expanding Melwood simply wasn’t feasible due to a lack of space. Liverpool considered other possible sites but redeveloping Kirkby emerged as the preferred option.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-kirkby-melwood-merge-klopp-12635966

I have heard one consistent theme when it comes to Kirby





So I guess this part:

The facilities will include a new covered artificial pitch

is a good thing.

This makes a lot of sense to me

Hadn't realised we had only been at Melwood since the 50's

sad for that piece of history to go - but long term, makes perfect sense

We're finally acting like a big club...at least so far as off field goes. Now if they'd only invest in the first team squad.

Long overdue but welcome news

Summer transfer budget down by £50 million

A very good move this merger... Continuity & all that..

Summer transfer budget down by £50 million

A very good move this merger... Continuity & all that..

So no Reus then?

Damn owners only investing 50 million! Tight bas**rds them! Don't care about the club obviously! Only looking for a quick profit. Insert other anti-FSG nonsense here.

Good news credit where it's due to owners

Damn owners only investing 50 million! Tight bas**rds them! Don't care about the club obviously! Only looking for a quick profit. Insert other anti-FSG nonsense here.

Yeah I'm quite interested to see how this will be spun to be anti FSG, because I bet someone will try.

What they didn't say was that £5M of the £50M is for the extra socks budget.

Good news.

Quite a sum of money for some playing fields, a new training complex and a pitch or two.

Just hope we have a 2019/2020 squad to match, as well as a trophy or two to add to the cabinet.

"It is with great sadness and reluctance to announce that we are investing in the club".

FSG statement. 

Always a good investment, bricks and mortar.

How about spending a few more bob on players so we can win something before I F***ing kick the bucket.

A positive step in the growth of the club. Hopefully we'll start to see more of the kids make it to the first team as a result.

"It is with great sadness and reluctance to announce that we are investing in the club".

FSG statement. 

That's until we have a naming rights partner, sell out the canteen to mcdonalds have a subway on one corner, a dunkin doughnuts on the other and let's not forget that they're only really buying land which is of course an excellent asset anyway. Who knows they may even sell Melwood for a tidy sum....

Not that I'm cynical about all this or anything close

To be fair it is something that Jürgen has asked for and it's something he's getting so in that case I'm delighted. Having the young lads able to interchange at a moment notice and set up teams / compare players in different situations rather than having to plan ahead and all the logistical silliness that comes with having one set of young lads with the first team and another that's not really shouldn't have to happen. If it's good for the elite group then it's good for them all and improving the whole quality at once is surely only going to push and develop all the young lads better and for Jürgen to be able to watch them all at the same time just makes sense.

Will it eventually actually be £50m invested from FSG, no. Will it come from within the club by sale of Melwood and corporate sponsorship, I'd guess more likely.

Imperative that a 'one club mentality' is realised so this is great news. So important that the youth players and the senior players are all worked on under one roof. The prospects of bringing through young local talent to the first team once more will become even greater because of this.

Great news.

Damn owners only investing 50 million! Tight bas**rds them! Don't care about the club obviously! Only looking for a quick profit. Insert other anti-FSG nonsense here.

Unnecessary mate! But do you really think FSG are investing their own money? This is a positive step, but lets just wait until we see how its bring funded before we start sucking then off.

Unnecessary mate! But do you really think FSG are investing their own money? This is a positive step, but lets just wait until we see how its bring funded before we start sucking then off.

Why would they invest their own money when they can leverage the club? I mean honestly, I'm not raining praise on them, but they don't really operate any different than any other owner of any large entity. I mean if we were publicly held like Microsoft, or Nike or the Scum....there would be no "owners" to invest their own money, the club would have to pay it's own way. Sounds like Klopp's been backed so seems to be a good thing, as long as this money doesn't get subtracted from the summer transfer budget.

Why would they invest their own money when they can leverage the club? I mean honestly, I'm not raining praise on them, but they don't really operate any different than any other owner of any large entity. I mean if we were publicly held like Microsoft, or Nike or the Scum....there would be no "owners" to invest their own money, the club would have to pay it's own way. Sounds like Klopp's been backed so seems to be a good thing, as long as this money doesn't get subtracted from the summer transfer budget.

Well don't worry, we still have the previous summer's money available then 😀 We can always sell Coutinho if we're stuck.
I'm not a property value expert, but I expect they'll make some of that back from the sale of Melwood.

Unnecessary mate! But do you really think FSG are investing their own money? This is a positive step, but lets just wait until we see how its bring funded before we start sucking then off.

Unnecessary is bashing the F**k out of them for doing something positive. They get slagged off to the high heavens constantly, they deserve some praise once in a while.

Unnecessary is bashing the F**k out of them for doing something positive. They get slagged off to the high heavens constantly, they deserve some praise once in a while.

No one is basing the F**k out of them for this. Important to know all the facts first, they'll get praise if and when they deserve it, if this is one of those times then great.

What they didn't say was that £5M of the £50M is for the extra socks budget.

They do like red socks

Unnecessary mate! But do you really think FSG are investing their own money? This is a positive step, but lets just wait until we see how its bring funded before we start sucking then off.

They invest club money which ultimately comes from them since they bought the club.

I was being deliberately sarky though I will admit, just think there is a lot of hatred towards them for no real just reasons so was highlighting that through hyperbole.

Ultimately it's a great step for the club, hopefully it runs smooth like the new stand did.

Took 17 posts to turn in to a cynical FSG thread.

Great news. Accept. Move on.

Move is logical .

Have fond memories of rocking up to Melwood when I was a kid to watch training .

That'll be a new one of these sorted for Klopp then

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUBgdyleCkA

That'll be a new one of these sorted for Klopp then

Be better if there was no nets and the square 'opened'.  That way if they missed they'd have to put two in the next one. 

Sort of like the football equivalent of the bleep test.

Anyway, ditching Melwood made sense ever since they opened that Academy. 

50 million quid investment, On what? Is kand in Kirby really THAT expensive? And the land at Melwood we're going to give away presumeably?

Sainsbury's, Tesco's and the like must be sh!tting themselves that land became so expensive.

50 million quid investment, On what? Is kand in Kirby really THAT expensive? And the land at Melwood we're going to give away presumeably?

Sainsbury's, Tesco's and the like must be sh!tting themselves that land became so expensive.

Fairly cheap actually Mick. Sorry to bring American football (NFL) into it but the Dallas Cowboys just opened a brand new training facility this year that cost around $1.5 billion.

I'd say if they are building an indoor practice facility, 50m is pretty good business.

50 million quid investment, On what? Is kand in Kirby really THAT expensive? And the land at Melwood we're going to give away presumeably?

Sainsbury's, Tesco's and the like must be sh!tting themselves that land became so expensive.

Essentially half the site is already there, the 50 mill will be to buy the extra land needed from the council and then build the rest of it. No doubt Melwood will get sold off for housing space.

Good news

Hadn't realised we had only been at Melwood since the 50's

sad for that piece of history to go - but long term, makes perfect sense

I am sure we were using Melwood before the 50s  when a lot of the players were living in Eaton Road in club houses.

Essentially half the site is already there, the 50 mill will be to buy the extra land needed from the council and then build the rest of it. No doubt Melwood will get sold off for housing space.

Knowing Fenway they will probably get more than 50 mill for Melwood.

Knowing Fenway they will probably get more than 50 mill for Melwood.

Wouldn't that be a good thing then?

I know we're all having a moan about them at the moment but if they move the training ground and build whatever is needed and manage to sell Melwood for £50M I can't see why that is a negative?

Damn owners only investing 50 million! Tight bas**rds them! Don't care about the club obviously! Only looking for a quick profit. Insert other anti-FSG nonsense here.

"Quick profit" Mags? Love it . 😆

Nah... the "quick" part of that came as soon as they got us for a "steal"... or don't you read your emails? 😉🤔

Getting your tenants to pay for those new extensions to your 6 bed mansion (the one you bought for the price of a 2 bed terrace) is more "long term". 😉

Let's be brutally honest here; the monies needed to extend and enhance the property portfolio will be wholly self funding. None of it will come from FSG'S coffers; to pretend otherwise smacks of desperation.

As for the (self funding) move:  good news all round; property portfolio enhanced, without cost and fans still believing... it's what the 'moneymen' like to call a "win-win" 😄

Wouldn't that be a good thing then?

I know we're all having a moan about them at the moment but if they move the training ground and build whatever is needed and manage to sell Melwood for £50M I can't see why that is a negative?

There will be a reason for some to see it as a negative.

pessimism (definition by Merriam-Webster)
noun  pes·si·mism \ˈpe-sə-ˌmi-zəm also ˈpe-zə-\
 
Definition of pessimism
1:  an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities or to expect the worst possible outcome

"Quick profit" Mags? Love it . 😆

Nah... the "quick" part of that came as soon as they got us for a "steal"... or don't you read your emails? 😉🤔

Getting your tenants to pay for those new extensions to your 6 bed mansion (the one you bought for the price of a 2 bed terrace) is more "long term". 😉

Let's be brutally honest here; the monies needed to extend and enhance the property portfolio will be wholly self funding. None of it will come from FSG'S coffers; to pretend otherwise smacks of desperation.

As for the (self funding) move:  good news all round; property portfolio enhanced, without cost and fans still believing... it's what the 'moneymen' like to call a "win-win" 😄

It's good for the club which is the only win that matters for me.

Knowing Fenway they will probably get more than 50 mill for Melwood.

Bloody good business then, hope they do

Wouldn't that be a good thing then?

I know we're all having a moan about them at the moment but if they move the training ground and build whatever is needed and manage to sell Melwood  £50M I can't see why that is a negative?

Si I did not say it would be a good or bad thing if Fenway got more than 50 Mill for Melwood.Not you but some posters read what they want  to in a post and hit the keyboard without digesting what was in the post.

That is BIG

Si I did not say it would be a good or bad thing if Fenway got more than 50 Mill for Melwood.

50M for the land at Melwood?! Maybe in 100 years after inflation.

Do very well to get a fifth of that.

50M for the land at Melwood?! Maybe in 100 years after inflation.

Do very well to get a fifth of that.

That area used to be expensive (or posh as we used to call it) when Jack Balmer owned a shop in the village.Probably before your time JD but I remember Melwood when it had a corrugated iron fence around it and we used to be able to see the likes of Billy Liddell  and other heroes of the day training.

I love this club and this is why

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/not-everybody-happy-liverpool-planning-12642157

Some great pics there

BBC Radio Merseyside‏ @bbcmerseyside 

MP for West Derby @StephenTwigg urges #LFC to reconsider plans to leave Melwood. He's worried about traffic from proposed housing on the site.

BBC Radio Merseyside‏ @bbcmerseyside 

MP for West Derby @StephenTwigg urges #LFC to reconsider plans to leave Melwood. He's worried about traffic from proposed housing on the site.

Same issues as when they opened the new ASDA store down our neck of the woods.

Damn owners only investing 50 million! Tight bas**rds them! Don't care about the club obviously! Only looking for a quick profit. Insert other anti-FSG nonsense here.

Which no doubt they'll get back a hefty chunk from the sale of Melwood for housing development.

Which no doubt they'll get back a hefty chunk from the sale of Melwood for housing development.

So?

https://twitter.com/TimesSport/status/839424962284797952

Council agree land sale
The Reds will purchase 14 acres of Land

BY JAMES PEARCE
19:49, 28 FEB 2018

Liverpool’s new £50million state-of-the-art training complex at the Kirkby Academy has moved a step closer after Knowsley Council’s cabinet tonight agreed the sale of land to the club.

The Reds will purchase 14 acres on Simonswood Lane for a fee of £160,000 in order to expand the size of the current facility to around 60 acres.


The plans received planning permission back in September and building work is expected to start this summer.

Owners Fenway Sports Group are backing Jürgen Klopp’s vision of having the first-team and youth set-ups together on one site as the Reds prepare to leave their historic Melwood home in West Derby.
 
Knowsley Council insist £160,000 is the land’s market value for such a sporting development.

Liverpool are also making a significant investment in improving sports facilities for the local community. This includes new football pitches, new changing rooms, enhanced landscaping and tree planting, safe pedestrian, dog walking and cycle paths, as well as car parking.

“The specific valuation of this land is based upon its intended use after the proposed sale as a sports facility,” a Knowsley Council statement read.

“The sale of land for other purposes, such as housing, might have resulted in a greater valuation, but the land is being sold only as a sports facility. A legal covenant will be put in place to ensure that the land cannot be used for any other purpose.”

The council stated that the final figure of Liverpool’s investment would “only be known when the contracts for all of the required works have been agreed and signed”. The facilities will be owned by the council and used by the local community, including AFC Kirkby.

They also revealed that renting the land to Liverpool wasn’t an option as the club “already owns its existing training facility in Kirkby and wants to do the same with the redeveloped facility.”


https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpools-state-art-training-complex-14351887.amp?__twitter_impression=true

50M for the land at Melwood?! Maybe in 100 years after inflation.

Do very well to get a fifth of that.

With you there - will get nothing like £50m for Melwood, area is fine for housing but not outstanding to drive up the cost of land to [probably] the dearest in Merseyside.

The clubs heading in the right direction, thats clear. Weather you agree with the sale/move or not. The more state of the art, forward thinking the club is, the better for everyone.  Even the prospect of more top players being encouraged to join us in the long term.

Don't forget, all our rivals who have gone in this direction over the last 5 -10 years, are now looking a tad outdated.