Seagrave Training Centre

[accessory]

On 19/08/2026 at 12:03, AKCJ said:

The bigger issue is what is (or isn't) happening in Seagrave's offices rather than the training pitches. We've been run awfully by an absent owner and an incompetent DoF. Once those two are replaced we'll see the full effects of having one of the best training facilities in the world.

Do you have ANY evidence (other than swallowing the King Power spin) to back that up?

 

Seagrave was and is a Jon Rudkin vanity project.  The idea that it's the English equivalent of Barcelona's La Maria is a dangerous and toxic myth.

 

But there's no doubt some (many?) Foxes will continue to believe it even if (when?) Rudkin takes us to the National League..

Edited 22 August by accessory
Typo

[accessory]

[Double post]

Edited 22 August by accessory

[fox_favourite]

What an utter waste of money this training ground was. 

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Built a Lamborghini and filled it with human shit 

[AKCJ]

17 hours ago, accessory said:

Do you have ANY evidence (other than swallowing the King Power spin) to back that up?

 

Seagrave was and is a Jon Rudkin vanity project.  The idea that it's the English equivalent of Barcelona's La Maria is a dangerous and toxic myth.

 

But there's no doubt some (many?) Foxes will continue to believe it even if (when?) Rudkin takes us to the National League..

It just is a top class facility.

 

Doesnt mean we’ve got the pull to get all the best youngsters like Barcelona do to turn it into La Masia but it does give us a lot more of a say in hoovering the best players locally and the training ground is a huge pull in attracting players.

[ramadaone]

Categorically nothing wrong with Seagrave Training Ground as it is world class.

Now the culture within it is a seperate thing all together and that is about as far away as world class as you can get.

It also won't be a 5 minute job to change that culture either.

[reynard]

18 hours ago, accessory said:

Do you have ANY evidence (other than swallowing the King Power spin) to back that up?

 

Seagrave was and is a Jon Rudkin vanity project.  The idea that it's the English equivalent of Barcelona's La Maria is a dangerous and toxic myth.

 

But there's no doubt some (many?) Foxes will continue to believe it even if (when?) Rudkin takes us to the National League..

I think people need to differentiate between the actual place and the facilities there and the culture.  It is without question a top class facility. It is also the players place of work. In that sense it is of course an asset. If you're a player and offered two similar deals and one is going to be training in basically a  glorified shed in a field or somewhere like Seagrave there is a good chance the quality of the place where you will work may have an influence.

 

Of course the culture of what goes on there is clearly lacking and that need addressing but it isn't the actual place that is to blame but the attitude of the management who work from it.

 

With the right people in charge, the right management, recruitment, medical and fitness staff it could easily be a huge asset.

 

The fact is the club needs a major overhaul not just on the pitch but off it as well.

[Number 6]

The facility isn't an issue. I think a lack of planning alongside it is. It's a smart addition but then needs to become the heart of everything we do.

 

- Coaches and staff need to be great. Can be learning their trade too but we need to tap into the absolutely best people to be working with our youngsters.

- Elite sports science. Was adopted heavily under Pearson but we've regressed since. We should be pushing the boundaries in this area.

- Youngsters should have clear routes into the first team. Each manager should be told there is a minimum number of our youth in EVERY match squad. And we should now be using cup games to give more of them more minutes.

 

The slightly sad other side of the coin is then selling assets at the right time. But if you have the above then it should be a stream of decent players, and when one is sold another one is promoted into the first team. And the sales would aid PSR and financial issues that we've run into. Doesn't always have to be big sales either, there could be a steady stream of sub £5m sales that supports the club.

[Jaspa]

1 hour ago, ramadaone said:

Categorically nothing wrong with Seagrave Training Ground as it is world class.

Now the culture within it is a seperate thing all together and that is about as far away as world class as you can get.

It also won't be a 5 minute job to change that culture either.

It is kinda built in a way that the main training pitches are sat atop a platform on a large hill, south facing with not much in way of wind cover. So it's completely open to the elements in winter; throwing up snow, sleet and all sorts. The dome doesn't really see much use.

 

People are nice there. It's just if you compare LCFC to what it was before Seagrave, you've got a very close knit operation down at Belvoir Dr. with Stadium acting as PR/HR/Media office for the club. Now at Seagrave the main building is essentially a large office block on its side, now facilitating PR/HR/Media up there, inevitably having had a huge influx of staff to run the site, who've been prone to high turnover given recent club performances and new starters moving about. So there's inevitably been a degree of dilution of the culture gone on, with a generalised office mode replacing it. Belvoir can be quite isolated, and stadium is much less core for the club as it was - both still having high quality playing surfaces.

 

Still early days really. The infrastructure is in place. Feel we need a way to improve the stadium if/when/or we ever kick on again. Stadium somehow needs to be focal point imo.

Edited 23 August by Jaspa

[accessory]

5 hours ago, AKCJ said:

It just is a top class facility.

 

Doesnt mean we’ve got the pull to get all the best youngsters like Barcelona do to turn it into La Masia but it does give us a lot more of a say in hoovering the best players locally and the training ground is a huge pull in attracting players.

..but more than offset now by our status as a third-tier club, especially with Forest and now Cov in the Premier League.

 

Forest are now doing what King Power could and should have done - expanding the stadium and thus their fanbase and revenue.

 

Instead, King Power, not for the first or last time, capitulated to Jon Rudkin's view of the priorities for City.

 

It's a grievous error which has set us back decades.

[fkas]

3 minutes ago, accessory said:

..but more than offset now by our status as a third-tier club, especially with Forest and now Cov in the Premier League.

 

Forest are now doing what King Power could and should have done - expanding the stadium and thus their fanbase and revenue.

 

Instead, King Power, not for the first or last time, capitulated to Jon Rudkin's view of the priorities for City.

 

It's a grievous error which has set us back decades.

We needed an upgrade to the training facilities. We didn't need to go all out in the way we did though.

 

We took our eye off the main need for any team that wants to compete in the Prem under the PSR nonsense. Revenue is king. Make decisions that generate income at every step because the more you get in, the more you can spend. Spurs pulled a blinder with the massive stadium, Levy got slated for it but it's paid dividends in terms of spending ability (not much else has gone right mind ). Arsenal did the same with theirs. We could have had a more measured training ground upgrade and then spend some on increasing capacity for the ground which would have gone down well when we were still in the Prem as you say.

[coolhandfox]

8 minutes ago, accessory said:

..but more than offset now by our status as a third-tier club, especially with Forest and now Cov in the Premier League.

 

Forest are now doing what King Power could and should have done - expanding the stadium and thus their fanbase and revenue.

 

Instead, King Power, not for the first or last time, capitulated to Jon Rudkin's view of the priorities for City.

 

It's a grievous error which has set us back decades.

Didn't sell out there opening day PL fixture against Leeds yesterday.

[Wymsey]

22 hours ago, Miquel The Work Geordie said:

Built a Lamborghini and filled it with human shit 

Or put petrol in instead of diesel...

[ramadaone]

3 hours ago, Jaspa said:

It is kinda built in a way that the main training pitches are sat atop a platform on a large hill, south facing with not much in way of wind cover. So it's completely open to the elements in winter; throwing up snow, sleet and all sorts.

 

People are nice there. It's just if you compare LCFC to what it was before Seagrave, you've got a very close knit operation down at Belvoir Dr. with Stadium acting as PR/HR/Media office for the club. Now at Seagrave the main building is essentially a large office block on its side, now facilitating PR/HR/Media up there, inevitably having had a huge influx of staff to run the site, who've been prone to high turnover given recent club performances and new starters moving about. So there's inevitably been a degree of dilution of the culture gone on, with a generalised office mode replacing it. Belvoir can be quite isolated, and stadium is much less core for the club as it was - both still having high quality playing surfaces.

 

Still early days really. The infrastructure is in place. Feel we need a way to improve the stadium if/when/or we ever kick on again. Stadium somehow needs to be focal point imo.

"It is kinda built in a way that the main training pitches are sat atop a platform on a large hill, south facing with not much in way of wind cover. So it's completely open to the elements in winter; throwing up snow, sleet and all sorts."  Where would you like it to have been built the Bahama's ??  It was to prepare us for a wet Tuesday night in Stoke ( or now Stockport )

"The dome doesn't really see much use."  It's used 7 days a week how many more do you want ?? First team don't hardly use it but that was never the plan anyway

[lcfc81]

4 hours ago, ramadaone said:

Categorically nothing wrong with Seagrave Training Ground as it is world class.

Now the culture within it is a seperate thing all together and that is about as far away as world class as you can get.

It also won't be a 5 minute job to change that culture either.

I woukd also arfue we are starting to produce talent we have never done before, I cannot remember a time so many of our youth players have been so coveted by the top clubs. 

Its just the rest of the organisation that seems to be the problem! 

[Spudulike]

5 hours ago, ramadaone said:

Categorically nothing wrong with Seagrave Training Ground as it is world class.

Now the culture within it is a seperate thing all together and that is about as far away as world class as you can get.

It also won't be a 5 minute job to change that culture either.

What exactly is the culture problem? Is it players getting too relaxed/comfortable, not getting on with each other, or does the world class training ground design not encourage team ethics? Or something else?

 

I've never been there but from images it looks like it gives players everything they could need (and much more besides) to be in the best condition possible but somehow they don't appear to be as fit/fast or robust as opponents that haven't got the same facilities.

 

Does it not provide mental stimulation and cause depression? Perhaps too vast to create a togetherness.

 

I dunno but surprised that no ex-manager or player has spilled the beans on this culture problem.

[davieG]

Jobs for all the players come this winter - clear the training pitches

 

 

ive been to filbert street n stood on the kop those were the days my friend  · 

Bod Cox

 

 

Leicester City apprentices pitch in to clear the pitch, at a snow-covered Filbert Street in the 1970s

[Chrysalis]

On 19/08/2026 at 11:23, brookfox said:

If you look at it another way, over the last 10yrs the academy has cost us something like £40-50m. Over the same timeframe we’ve sold £140m of academy players and it contributed 7 players to our weekend squad of 18 with several other players out on loan.

Is it perfect? No. Should we expect more? Definitely yes. But you could argue the academy is the only thing the club has got moderately correct, is the only reason we’re still in business and the real problem that needs fixing first is senior player trading and contracts.

How many of those players started out at seagrave rather than moved there? Chilwell e.g.

Edited 27 August by Chrysalis

[Collymore]

If you want to know the issues with Seagrave and haven't seen the film Rocky 4 (I'd imagine most people have) then you should watch it as a priority. 

 

[sylofox]

On 23/08/2026 at 16:22, accessory said:

 

 

Instead, King Power, not for the first or last time, capitulated to Jon Rudkin's view of the priorities for City.

 

It's a grievous error which has set us back decades.

Where has it been said that Seagrave was a Rudkin vission?

 

I know he's ****ing useless but not everything wrong is down to him.

[st albans fox]

On 23/08/2026 at 18:14, Spudulike said:

What exactly is the culture problem? Is it players getting too relaxed/comfortable, not getting on with each other, or does the world class training ground design not encourage team ethics? Or something else?

 

I've never been there but from images it looks like it gives players everything they could need (and much more besides) to be in the best condition possible but somehow they don't appear to be as fit/fast or robust as opponents that haven't got the same facilities.

 

Does it not provide mental stimulation and cause depression? Perhaps too vast to create a togetherness.

 

I dunno but surprised that no ex-manager or player has spilled the beans on this culture problem.

I don’t think the culture issue is a seagrave issue per se.  I think seagrave exacerbates it because of the ‘luxurious surroundings’.  The culture at the club has ingrained over many years. A culture where players feel they carry more weight than the manager.  (And I don’t mean kilos although that’s also true). 
 

managers get paid off and may have to sign non disclosure agreements. Also, a manager that ‘bad mouths’ a previous employer isn’t helping to get himself a new position. 

we saw vardy saying that he’d told puel he was off for a few days when he’d got a three game ban. Despite puel not agreeing, vards went. That’s not a good culture to have. We know that vichai was close to some players. Vichai was able to handle that but Top clearly isn’t. 

 

Russell isn’t the coach to change the mentality either.  Need a Tony Mowbray type (or a warnock in to bang some heads together - could you imagine !)

not going to happen with modern day players and their sensitivities but the mentality problem which has existed for many years remains our greatest problem at the club. 

[coolhandfox]

Think people have to remember when they committed to Seagrave before the ass drop out of the world for COVID.

 

Likelihood without COVID kingpowers business is still booming and the stadium would have also been built by now.

 

 

[jim5000]

On 23/08/2026 at 12:36, reynard said:

I think people need to differentiate between the actual place and the facilities there and the culture.  It is without question a top class facility. It is also the players place of work. In that sense it is of course an asset. If you're a player and offered two similar deals and one is going to be training in basically a  glorified shed in a field or somewhere like Seagrave there is a good chance the quality of the place where you will work may have an influence.

 

Of course the culture of what goes on there is clearly lacking and that need addressing but it isn't the actual place that is to blame but the attitude of the management who work from it.

 

With the right people in charge, the right management, recruitment, medical and fitness staff it could easily be a huge asset.

 

Final sentence there hits the nail on the head. Unfortunately, without the right people to operate it, Seagrave is a complete white elephant

[FoxesTalker]

This is going over old ground again, but it’s still maddening to read this snippet from the Mail article.

 

[urban.spaceman]

21 minutes ago, FoxesTalker said:

This is going over old ground again, but it’s still maddening to read this snippet from the Mail article.

 

How many ACLs?