As Alan Pardew and his players prepare to return for
pre-season training this week, redevelopment work at the Club's
Chadwell Heath training headquarters is reaching its final
stages.
Our exclusive pictures during the summer months have displayed the various stages of renovation carried out on the pitches and interior areas, with the finishing touches now being added as the countdown to the new Premiership campaign begins.
Head Groundsman Dougie Robertson says: "The main training pitch (image 1) is now more than two weeks old from seed, and has already had its second cut. We are watering it regularly now and, apart from a couple of slow areas that we are having to work on carefully, it is almost ready.
"The undersoil heating is in working order now and holding water pressure, so there are no problems there and it will be ready for whenever needed in the coming months.
"We're also starting to cut the second pitch, and the new playing area at the far end of the training ground is also coming on nicely. The all-weather outdoor pitch (image 2) is almost finished and the perimeter fencing is done (image 3), so all in all we are virtually there.
"The interior improvements are also progressing well. The new kitchen is finished (image 4), as is the viewing area in the sports hall (image 5), all areas have been redecorated and tidied up, and the new cooling tanks in the dressing-room area are almost completed (image 6).
"Now it's just a case of tidying up, and making sure that everything is ready for when the players begin training."
Our exclusive pictures during the summer months have displayed the various stages of renovation carried out on the pitches and interior areas, with the finishing touches now being added as the countdown to the new Premiership campaign begins.
Head Groundsman Dougie Robertson says: "The main training pitch (image 1) is now more than two weeks old from seed, and has already had its second cut. We are watering it regularly now and, apart from a couple of slow areas that we are having to work on carefully, it is almost ready.
"The undersoil heating is in working order now and holding water pressure, so there are no problems there and it will be ready for whenever needed in the coming months.
"We're also starting to cut the second pitch, and the new playing area at the far end of the training ground is also coming on nicely. The all-weather outdoor pitch (image 2) is almost finished and the perimeter fencing is done (image 3), so all in all we are virtually there.
"The interior improvements are also progressing well. The new kitchen is finished (image 4), as is the viewing area in the sports hall (image 5), all areas have been redecorated and tidied up, and the new cooling tanks in the dressing-room area are almost completed (image 6).
"Now it's just a case of tidying up, and making sure that everything is ready for when the players begin training."