Clayton Wood is the

training ground A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness. They also sometimes form part of a club's youth system, as clubs consider it important t ...

and

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

of EFL Championship club Stoke City.

Development

In January 2009, Stoke City unveiled plans to redevelop their training ground at an initial cost of £5 million. Stoke City were given planning permission by the Stoke-on-Trent City Council to construct the facility in May 2009; Stoke had previously been renting the site from the Michelin Tyre company. The facility was designed by AFL architects who had previously designed

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

Cobham Training Centre The Cobham Training Centre, is the training ground of Chelsea Football Club located in the village of Stoke d'Abernon near the village of Cobham, Surrey. The Chelsea first team have trained at Stoke D'Abernon since 2005, but it was not officia ...

and Everton's

Finch Farm Finch Farm is the training ground for Everton F.C., in Halewood, in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside within the Liverpool City Region. The School of Science is the nickname given to the complex by some supporters, referring to a ...

. The centre was built in time for the start of the 2010–11 season. In April 2012, Stoke announced £6 million expansions plans in order to meet the category one criteria in the

Elite Player Performance Plan The Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) is a youth development scheme initiated by the Premier League. The intention of the EPPP is to improve the quality and quantity of home-grown players produced by top English clubs. Measures introduced by th ...

. In November 2015, further plans were announced to expand the facility.

References

{{Stoke City F.C. Stoke City F.C. Sport in Stoke-on-Trent Clayton Wood