Carlisle United: Latest update on £4m plan reaffirms Piataks’ vision - View | OneFootball

The American owners' big plans for the club are starting to come to fruition.

Carlisle United have confirmed the location of where they are planning to build their new training facility, and it's another change at the club that backs up everything the Piataks have said since taking over.

On Tuesday morning, it was confirmed that the Sheepmount was where Carlisle are planning to put their new training headquarters.

A statement put out by the club said: "Carlisle United Football Club are pleased to announce that we are working with Cumberland Council as part of the plans to develop the upper plateau of the Sheepmount into a state-of-the-art training facility for the club.

"The proposed development forms part of the club’s long-term vision to be at the heart of the community, which could also result in capital investment in grass roots football within the city.

"This transformative initiative would mark a significant investment in both the club and the city of Carlisle. The project will not only enhance Carlisle United's training capabilities but also contribute to the improvement of existing community sports facilities at the Sheepmount."

The site had been the rumoured location of the planned new development.

There were some concerns about the risk of flooding, as it's a part of the city that is prone to adverse weather swallowing it up, but the confirmation that it is the upper plateau of the Sheepmount means the chances of the new training facility being affected by flooding is much less.

Sheepmount announcement reaffirms the Piataks' ambition

The club's new American owners have brought a breath of fresh air to Brunton Park. What once was a place that felt a bit stuck in the olden days, and without the necessary resources to pull themselves out of that state.

Custodians before the previous ones, like Michael Knighton, had promised the world but not been able to deliver it.

The Piataks certainly said that they were going to do a lot, and invest a lot, to make sure that United was up to standard, and they've been the first ones in a while to deliver on these bold promises.

Renovations of the stadium have been going on throughout the summer, finishing off the work that was started by Knighton and others. New additions to the fanzones, new executive boxes, improved facilities for the players and coaching staff.

Even things that could be considered less important, like a new club website and video content service, have been implemented or are in the works.

Their vision for the club is starting to slowly come together, even if the most recent step did take a bit longer than they would have wanted.

The impact of a new training facility

Speaking from the position of someone who has not been through a football transfer, but using what's been said by players in the past as a basis, there's more that goes into a footballer's decision on where to go in their career than purely their chances of doing well in the team.

Location, money, easiness of the move; these are all factors that determine a footballer's choice. But another way clubs can influence them is through what they can offer on a day-to-day basis.

If you work in an office-based job, you wouldn't want to be somewhere with slow computers, no air conditioning, dirty toilets etc. Similarly, for players, they will want the places where they are working day in, day out to be of a good standard.

Compared to what else was out there, Carlisle would struggle to compete with other teams on this front. Improvements have been made since the takeover, but the new facility will be the big change that really gets eyebrows raised.

A team like Fleetwood Town aren't steeped in grandeur, history and all that, but what they do have is very good resources for the players. That can be a big pulling factor, and Carlisle will hope that, once all is finished at the Sheepmount, that they can reap similar benefits.