Plans for the development of the former Park Hill Golf and Fishing Centre at Seagrave were revealed by the Leicester City Football Club in February 2018, in what Vice Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha described as ‘a once-in-a-generation opportunity’ to make a sizeable, meaningful investment in the Club’s long-term future.

Work is complete on the 185-acre site in Seagrave, which includes 11 full-size pitches, including one show pitch with a 499-seater stand, full size indoor pitch, eight smaller pitches, five training grids, two goalkeeping areas, and a sports turf academy for developing the next generation of ground staff. In addition there is an indoor training centre featuring an indoor pool, rehab facilities, academy and 1st team gyms and 35 bedrooms.

Overview

Many of the early undertakings on-site have focused on the ecological elements of the project, which is expected to significantly increase biodiversity in an area already blessed with natural beauty. Over 11 hectares of retained woodland were bolstered by the planting of 38,000 new trees. These have supplemented the 9,000 trees removed or replanted for earthwork enablement, which in turn has created 900 tonnes of wood chips that will be used as biomass fuel. The development will also see the retention of 4.4 hectares of new planting and landscaping and 14.6 hectares of wildflower grassland.

Investment in a training facility to rival the very best in Europe is the latest phase in the realisation of King Power International’s long-term vision for Leicester City – a vision conceived by the Srivaddhanaprabha family and sustainably implemented since 2010. The new training centre will include facilities for the Club’s First Team, Development Squad and Academy setups, as well as facilities to support the Club’s community programme and its efforts to promote inclusion and sports participation throughout the region. In addition, as part of its commitment to research, development and innovation in sport and beyond, the Club intends to engage with the region’s major educational establishments to offer further opportunities for progressive collaboration in a world-class environment.

Leicester City Vice Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: “The Club has experienced an extraordinary rate of growth in the last seven years and keeping the Leicestershire community at the heart of that growth has been and will continue to be a fundamental principle of our vision. The new training ground is a truly exciting phase of our development and a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us to demonstrate both our ambition, and that of the city, on such a large scale. We want to invest in the best possible training facilities to develop and attract the world’s elite sporting talent to Leicester and to give them a competitive edge in a game that is constantly evolving. It is crucial to us that the benefits brought about by the new development make the facility a source of pride for the Leicestershire community – known for so many years for its rich tradition in sporting development.”

The Perform Better technical team worked closely with the Leicester City Performance Department over an 18 month period to develop a number of bespoke designs on a number of pieces of equipment including: belt squat, recumbent leg press, 3D smith machine, pulley machines, floor mounted force platforms, medicine ball throwing wall, sissy squat amongst others. The club were keen to feature Club branding on a number of pieces of equipment including benches, dumbbells and Wattbikes.

In addition to the Strength and Conditioning Equipment Perform Better also supplied a range of Sport Science Equipment including: ForceDecks force plates, Optojump testing system, GymAware power testing systems, Witty Timing systems, kBox flywheel device and Run Rockets.

Equipment

• Elite Half Racks
• Joining Bars
• Recumbent Leg Press
• Belt Squat
• ISO Leg Extension
• ISO Leg Curl
• ISO Seated Calf
• 3D Smith Machine
• Pulley Configuration
• Prone Row Bench
• Adjustable Benches
• Glute Ham Benches
• Sissy Squat
• Monster Storage
• Storage Boxes
• Keiser Functional Trainer
• Keiser Squat
• Branded Rubber Dumbbells
• Kettlebells
• Medicine balls
• Eleiko Discs and Bars
• Run Rocket
• kBox Pro
• Foam Plyometric Boxes
• Wattbikes
• Woodway 4Front Treadmill
• Assault Bike
• Keiser M3 Bike
• Concept 2 Rower
• ForceDecks Max Force Platforms
• GymAware Power Testing systems