Cardiff City have moved a step closer to a new multi-million pound training base, more than 10 years after it was first proposed.
Work has begun in Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan, close to the Football Association of Wales (FAW) headquarters and facilities that Cardiff currently use as tenants.
After more than a decade on initial negotiations, the Bluebirds are set to switch to their new 44-acre site in two seasons’ time.
The Championship club have agreed a £1.5m long-term lease with the Vale of Glamorgan Council to start work on the site, with the overall cost not disclosed – but expected to be more than the £8m invested into the opening of a new academy complex in Llanrumney a year ago.
Cardiff owner Vincent Tan backed the prospect of a new training ground shortly after his takeover in 2010 and is said to be “extremely happy” at the start of the ground work.
Planning permission for the centre was first granted in 2019 which, as well as many as 15 pitches, includes approval for a two-storey central building for a state-of-the-art gym, pool, treatment centre and offices, as well as spectator terraces for the pitches and a 123-space car park.