Training ground purchased. To be known as The Colony.

Great news. Thanks for all your updates. Greatly appreciated.

Wonder what they will name it? Club should ask for suggestions

Ignore! Just saw the other thread!!!

wrong thread Hugo. You filed a new beginning

Lets hope that will get UWE to make their decision, following the latest talks, by the end of this month.

Is it not more our decision at this stage, with regards to will we pay what they want?

Our Chairman said they hope to get DC and the squad training there by this coming July.

really?? Not doubting that was said but I have spent a fair bit of time up there and it is not suitable for grazing cattle! As for building the required structures, well I would be amazed.

In case anyone is interested, I was...

What is Category 2 Academy status?

There are four academy categories, with one being the highest rating and four being the lowest as part of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). Forming and maintaining Category 2 Academy status requires a substantial financial and organisational commitment from any club. Rovers would have to fulfil a specific set of criteria in terms of facilities available and quality of programmes designed to develop promising young players. All applicants are assessed by a Premier League audit committee, who rigorously assess the function of the Academy in areas such as: vision and values; coaching programmes; sports science and medicine; recruitment; education and welfare; facilities; finance and productivity.
How much does it cost?

The cost rises in line with the status of the academy. The recommended budget guidelines suggest a Category 1 Academy should spend £2.3m per year, while a Category 3 club's recommended spending is only £500,000. Coventry City spend around £600,000 per year to run their Category 2 status centre but the Premier League add a grant of around £500,000 to help with running costs. Championship side Huddersfield Town spend £1.5m per year on their academy.

What facilities would be needed at the new training ground?

Any new facility would need an indoor football area, an outdoor floodlit 3G pitch, grass pitches, and classroom and office space to meet both Category 2 and Category 3 Academy status. The Academy has to be granted exclusivity of use to facilities at certain times in order to carry out the various training and coaching programmes for all age-group sides between Under 8s and Under 21s. There are guidelines on the minimum amount of hours that have to be spent coaching youngsters to meet the criteria set out by the EPPP rules.
What are the benefits of Category 2 Academy status?

The higher the academy status a club has the better the opposition they can pit their youngsters against in development matches. Rovers would also be better protected against the poaching of their players by 'bigger' clubs as has happened in the past. In the event that a player was persuaded to leave and join another club, Category 2 Status would at least see Rovers receive a greater financial remuneration under the compensation guidelines set out under the compensation guidelines set out under EPPP.

What are the drawbacks of Category 2 Academy Status?

The costs of running an Academy are often the first to come under scrutiny at lower-league clubs where annual losses are the norm. There is also no guarantee that any club will get a return on the often substantial investment. According to the BBC, There are 12,500 players in the English academy system, but only 0.5 per cent of under 9s are likely to make it to the first team. One of the most famed youth set-ups in the country at Crewe Alexandra was called into question by supporters earlier this year after the club, which has since been relegated to League Two, confirmed an annual loss of £1million. Those calls were rejected by head of academy operations David Artell, but both Wycombe Wanderers and Yeovil Town closed their youth set-ups soon after the EPPP came into force in 2011. Championship club Brentford closed the doors on their Category 2 Status Academy at the end of last season.
What does Darrell Clarke says about Category 2 Academy Status?

"The higher category you have the better the players you are going to produce. We haven't done too bad in that department in recent years and if you look at the team at the moment we have Ollie Clarke, Ellis Harrison and Tom Lockyer who have all come through our ranks. We want to build on that and produce a lot more."