Dai: Planned training base a huge boost

WASPS’ proposed new training ground that will be ready for next season will ‘take away uncertainty’ for boss Dai Young when recruiting players.

But the long-serving Welshman dismissed the notion that stars had left the club in recent years due to facilities used day-to-day since moving north to Coventry.

Young’s comments came after the Gallagher Premiership club revealed it had placed a deposit on a site in Henley-in-Arden to develop a ‘high-performance centre’ in time for the 2020/21 season.

If planning permission is secured, Wasps will leave their temporary base at Broadstreet RFC which has been their home since the summer of 2016 and move into a facility to call their own.

“It takes away the uncertainty for us when we are recruiting players. It’s a big help when you can actually say this is where we play and this is where we train. No uncertainty in that will definitely help.”

He added: “We’ve got what we believe is one of the best stadiums in rugby, to have one of the best training facilities would be a big fillip.”

But Young believes the star player exodus last summer had little to do with the training ground.

“I think that was a natural progression,” he said. “I think the training facility has been used as a bit of an excuse, I don’t think anyone has left here because the training facility has not been good enough. And we’ve got to pay tribute to Broadstreet, the facilities here are as good as most teams in the Premiership.

“Lots of players left for various reasons, I don’t think the training facility was one.”