NEWPORT County AFC must embrace being nomads for their training sessions while owner Huw Jenkins looks for a long-term solution, says assistant coach Joe Dunne.
The Exiles are based at their former Spytty Park ground but also hold sessions at the Football Association of Wales’ Dragon Park nearby and the University of South Wales Sports Park in Treforest.
Given the club’s financial position, that is a situation that will continue next season but new owner Jenkins, whose takeover was completed in January, was quick to identify training facilities as a pressing issue for the club.
Plans can be disrupted by wet weather – of which there has been plenty – and Spytty Park, which is owned by Newport City Council, is also used by other teams.
Last week Newport City FC played Caldicot on Wednesday night in Ardal SE and then Newport RFC hosted Premiership title rivals Llandovery on Thursday.
The venue is also home to Cardiff City Ladies, who will be renamed Gwalia United next season, plus Newport Harriers athletics club, although track events are obviously of no concern.
Barrow preparations in full-swing 💪#NCAFC pic.twitter.com/3ilY7nhH60
— Newport County AFC (@NewportCounty) March 20, 2024
Manager Graham Coughlan and right-hand man Dunne have learnt the art of being adaptable since heading to Newport in October, 2022.
“When we come to the end of the season we will have a debrief and look at it but we have changed a lot and move around quite a bit,” admitted Dunne last week.
“We are immensely grateful to the people that help us because we don’t we don’t own our own training ground.
“That plays a part in the time we can get at the grounds and how much coaching time we can get into players, whether 60 minutes or an hour and 15 max.
“They are different surfaces as well, but we get on with it. This is what we are about but we love it, in a way. We don’t have it easy but we deal with it, adapt and get on with it.”
The academy are based at Lliswerry High School but moving to better facilities has long been on the agenda with the aim of helping develop homegrown talent.
“I’ve had similar at past clubs and finding a training base helps develop the coaching aspect of what you want to do,” said Dunne, formerly with Colchester and Cambridge. “It allows you to get that extra little bit into young players in the bracket of 18 to 21.
“That can take us forward and it’s great to know that our new owner Huw is looking into it. Hopefully that would bring us into a new era.”
Former Swansea chairman Jenkins spoke about the training ground problems after his takeover was rubber-stamped at the start of the year.
“There needs to be continuity day in, day out for the players to train and work, whether first team or academy,” he said in January. “Knowing where you are training each day is not much to ask for but that has been difficult.”
He continued: “Hopefully the better financial position will provide some stability with the partnerships with Newport City Council, the FAW and the University of South Wales up in Treforest.
“Relationships need to be running in a good way to help our fight to get better training facilities.”
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