Shrewsbury Town to return to training at new Sundorne Castle training complex
Shrewsbury Town players will return to pre-season to the club's regenerated training ground complex at Sundorne Castle as the club target an early June finish date.
The initial £200,000 investment on the patch of land at Sundorne finally looks set for completion with the club aiming to introduce Paul Hurst's squad to the facility.
Players return to pre-season training on June 23 while the aim will also be for the Town boss to introduce potential signings to the training ground.
While bad weather has severely delayed progress on the complex's installation, the building's shell was in place over Christmas, with interior work now almost complete.
Work now turns to the land's car-parking area and club chief executive Brian Caldwell tentatively put a completion date of early next month.
"The building is taking shape. We're hoping to have most of the internal building work in place by, dare I say it, the end of May and beginning of June.
"If everything goes to plan, which never seems to happen with a new building project, but if the building work is complete in the first week of June we can then work on the parking areas.
"Players are back in late June so hopefully we can work to the timescales, maybe get ahead of them too, and be ready for the new season.
The work had originally hoped to be completed by the end of summer last year, before further estimations hoped for an early 2017 move.
Chairman Roland Wycherley owned the land from 1996 until April last year, where it was unanimously passed on as an asset of the club at an AGM.
It is being developed by Allscott-based Maxwell Amenity Limited.
The development of the complex is part of a crucial and busy summer for Town.
Work is soon to start on the new Lidl supermarket store that will occupy the land to the right of the entrance of the Greenhous Meadow site.
The club's partnership with sponsors Greenhous also ceases this summer, with the club negotiating with new potential sponsors – the new partnership will appear as Town's kit sponsor and stadium name sponsor.
While the Rod Stewart concert on June 7 is another task keeping the club's staff particularly busy over the summer months.
"The training ground's a massive one for the football club. It really stands us in good stead long-term.
"Hopefully in 10 or 20 years people can look back on the investment just now and see it as a really good one.
"I think it'll really help us going forward and make us a very professional outfit, not every football club of our size has got their own facility and own it."
