by Richard Early
WALES Women’s football squads have a new home – at the University of South Wales’ extended and improved Sport Park in Treforest.
Sports and Business Development Manager, Steve Savage has revealed that the £15 million facility will be the training base for the women.
The new facility is made up of the first full-size indoor 3G football pitch in Wales, a gym, a physio room, and a range of academic classrooms.
It is an ideal set-up for Jayne Ludlow’s side as they push for a place in 2019’s World Cup in France.
They have four matches remaining, one away to England, and three at home, to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia and England.
However, as the extension will not to be completed until Easter 2018, the side will train at Dragon Park ahead of their next World Cup qualifier against England on Friday 6th April.
The Wales Women’s team are not the only side to make use of the new facility at USW Sport Park, and Savage revealed who else would be training there.
He said: “The new facility aims to benefit academic students through course delivery, students’ union teams for training and our key stakeholders/partners including Wales FA Women, Wales Football Trust, Welsh Rugby Union, Coleg Cymoedd, Ponty Schools Rugby, Treforest Juniors’ Football.”
USW’s BA (Hons) Sports Journalism students were given a tour of the new facilities and took part in a media training session with the Men’s Football 1st/2nd team, before flocking to Twitter to praise the extension to the USW Sport Park.
Savage explained that the development was identified as needed in 2015, based on predicted additional sports students at the Sport Park..
“It cost £15 million, I guess through a combination of central funding and student numbers, with the Sport Park averaging over 550 students per day during term time.
“Groundwork started in October 2016 with almost full hand over in January 2018 – we still have a few minor non-teaching areas to complete with full handover planned after Easter 2018.”
Great day at the @USWSport park looking at the new facilities!! A good media training session with the @USWFootball players also! pic.twitter.com/1DsSPSCAeD
— Ethan Harris (@ejwharris4260) January 10, 2018
Brilliant day @USWSport Park, firstly having a tour of the new facilities which are world-class, and then taking part in a media training session with fellow @SportsJournoUSW course-mates and @USWFootball 1s and 2s players, which was very insightful! pic.twitter.com/2tUIcQrmbN
— Tom Pritchard (@tomp_USW) January 10, 2018
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