'A big statement of intent' - Ludlam, Dowson and Darbon react to opening of Saints' High Performance Centre

A sizeable indoor structure on the back pitches at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens, the fresh facility will allow the team to train in all weathers.

It means they won't have to seek artificial surfaces elsewhere and it adds some gloss to what Saints have to offer their players.

We headed along to the official opening to speak to some of the club's key men.

Here are their views on the High Performance Centre and what it will bring to life at the Gardens...

Saints captain Lewis Ludlam: "It's good because it means we get some high-quality sessions regardless of conditions.

"The boys prefer training inside at times as well so hopefully there will be some more excitement around sessions.

"It's finally here and we're happy and excited to get training in it now.

"The fact we've got training facilities at the ground we play at has always been a selling point for Northampton Saints because a lot of boys train away from where they're playing at the weekend.

"Now we've got an indoor facility it's an added bonus for us, and hopefully it attracts some talent to the club.

"The young boys get to have some more coaching in there and it allows us to be on the pitch for even longer.

"It's a huge positive going forward.

"It's a fantastic thing we can get use out of and the club can get use out of financially.

"The non-playing side will see the benefits of it as well."

Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson: "It's fantastic and it's a big statement of intent in terms of where the club is, investing in the facilities, making us better off the pitch as well as on it.

"It's going to make a big difference to how we train, where we train and how we try to improve the players as individuals and as a unit as well.

"John White spoke about the position this has in the community and how this can be used by lots of different aspects of the club.

"It's going to be a real filip for the squad as well.

"The players (who could come here) will look at everything: the coaching group, the playing group, the facilities available and what food is being provided. This provides them with an understanding of where we're trying to get to."

Saints CEO Mark Darbon: "It's been a long time coming so it's a really exciting day for us.

"It makes a big difference to us as a club because we haven't had an indoor facility. A lot of elite level clubs and governing bodies have them now and they have become a big part of how teams train for elite rugby so to be able to add a facility like this onto the mix of equipment and facilities we already have, it's fantastic.

"Seeing the faces of the players the first time they went in there was brilliant.

"Alex Waller actually came up to me and said that the club have been talking about an indoor facility since he was in the Academy, and that's quite some years now.

"To see it finally come to fruition means it's really exciting for us moving forward."