'An extremely exciting development' - Saints officially open new High Performance Centre

The High Performance Centre will provide year-round indoor training facilities for the playing squad, and was constructed to the south of the stadium on a section of one of the existing outdoor pitches.

The development was designed by pHp Architects and Warwick Burt Construction Ltd, alongside GSSllp.

Initial preparation works began back in July 2022.

This morning, the Centre opened its doors for the very first time as Saints chairman John White cut the ribbon in a small ceremony in front of the club’s players, staff and other stakeholders.

Saints supporters will be among the first to get a glimpse inside the new facility; the club will open its doors later today for an Open Day with more than 2,000 fans signed up to attend.

“I am thrilled that we are able to unveil our new High Performance Centre today,” said White.

“While we are very proud of our home here at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, we know we must continue to invest in our facilities to underpin our ambition to be successful on the pitch and attract the best players in the world.

“We’re delighted to see this project finally come to life after a huge amount of planning and effort over a long time from many different stakeholders – there is a lot of excitement around the club to begin using the facility!

“The development will also enable us to engage with the community in new ways and help us attract new events to Franklin’s Gardens and the town of Northampton.

“I want to thank everyone who has been involved in getting the project up and running, from the teams at GSS, pHp Architects and Warwick Burt, to our own operations and grounds teams here at Saints.

“This is an extremely exciting development for everyone at the club and we can’t wait welcome our supporters through the doors later today.”

The High Performance Centre houses a half-sized artificial playing surface, and is complemented by another top-quality outdoor surface which was upgraded during the summer of 2022 and replicates the Franklin’s Gardens stadium pitch.

The club committed to sustainable design principles for the High Performance Centre – with the building including a passive ventilation system rather than heating, upgraded glazing and thermal insulation, energy efficient lighting, and high-quality cladding which is both durable and recyclable.