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Brunton Park revamp set to top £5m mark, says Carlisle United chief
Carlisle United chief executive Nigel Clibbens says the Piataks’ investment on transforming Brunton Park this summer is likely to top the £5m mark.
United’s stadium is seeing major renovations as the American owners seek to modernise the ground.
New lounges, executive boxes and other facilities are being created in the East Stand, and further facilities are being put in place in the Warwick Road End.
United’s ground has also seen significant improvements to the changing room areas and the Neil Sports Centre, as well as the installation of a huge big screen in the fan zone.
With other changes also in the offing, it marks a significant summer of transformation at Brunton Park.
“The ownership is investing probably over £5 million in this close season alone in this site,” said Clibbens.
“That’s the biggest investment that we have seen in this club for many, many years, probably since the East Stand was built. And the [planned] training ground will probably surpass that.
“So you can see the commitment of the owners to making this club where it needs to be.”
The Piataks, via their Castle Sports Group company, have previously said that £4.5m was being spent on Brunton Park this summer, with a further £4m earmarked for the Sheepmount training ground project which was confirmed by the club and Cumberland Council this week.
United are also recruiting a host of new staff to propel the club under their American owners.
Clibbens, speaking at this week’s fixtures breakfast event at Brunton Park, said this was the busiest close-season he has known in eight years at the club.
He said it was a “great, exciting time” with “very significant investments” being made across “all areas” of the Blues.
“There’s a real transformation going on here, and it's really great to see. Everyone at the club is working really hard behind the scenes and leaving no stone unturned as we attempt to make 2024/25 a really memorable season, and a successful one both on and off the pitch,” said Clibbens.
Refurbishment of the Neil Sports Centre was completed this week, Nigel Clibbens says (Image: News & Star)
“Almost every day there's something exciting to announce. On Monday we completed the refurbishment of the Neil Centre, so for the community users in there, their experience has been upgraded significantly.
“For the academy staff, for the first time, they're all going to be together. Having been scattered here, there and everywhere around the football club, in almost every room that we could find a space for them, they're together as a team for the first time.
“We then launched a new website, which meant a change after [about] 15 years of being with the EFL. So we have a new complete website of our own, which for the first time will give us much more control over our own content.
“And that's the first part of a three-part programme. The second will be a new phone app to allow better ticketing and retail. And thirdly, we're going to be launching a subscription TV channel called CUTV, where fans will get an inside track into everything about the club on and off the field.
“Then on Tuesday, we completed work in the changing rooms to provide new facilities for the officials. Hopefully if we give them better facilities, they might give us some better decisions. But it remains to be seen. We gave them better food last year and that didn't work so we kept trying…”
Clibbens said a “long overdue” revamp for the players’ changing areas is also well under way.
“And we were thrilled to make the biggest announcement of the summer so far, and that was that we are moving ahead with plans for a training facility at the Sheepmount,” added the chief executive.
“This will be a real game changer for this football club.
"The vision is to create a fantastic training facility for the first team and the academy, bring that together so we have all our football activities under one roof and on one site.
“It will be a brilliant facility and a brilliant community facility for everybody in the city to be proud of.
It's going to be a tremendous investment and that wouldn't have taken place without the Piatik family. It will probably be the biggest single investment in this club's history.
“So it's absolutely a game changer for us.”
“Every part of this club is being invested in, upgraded and transformed,” added Clibbens.
