Exeter City: Cliff Hill training ground costs rise by £800,000

The main training ground building will be demolished as part of the plans

Exeter City's training ground will cost almost £800,000 more to build after new contractors were appointed.

Work on new buildings at the Cliff Hill training ground has been delayed by three months after the original contractors pulled out of the project.

The scheme is now set to cost just under £3m, up from £2.2m.

Work is expected to finish in October, with players able to move in from mid-December and the old buildings being demolished in January.

"We are delighted to be able to tell our supporters that this work is finally going ahead," said Nick Hawker, the chairman of Exeter City Supporters' Trust, which owns the club.

"The current building is no longer fit for purpose, and although we would have all preferred to have gone ahead at the lower price, the crisis in the construction industry meant this was simply not possible.

"The increase in cost has been underwritten by the Supporters' Trust by way of the loan facility agreed by its members earlier in the year.

"Due diligence has also been undertaken on the new contractor, who have constructed facilities for other football clubs including Bournemouth and Wolves."

Much of the rest of the funding comes from the proceeds of England striker Ollie Watkins' £28m transfer to Aston Villa from Brentford.

Watkins, 25, began his career at Exeter and the club has received about £4.5m in add-ons since his move to Villa Park in the summer of 2020.

The buildings will be constructed off-site and assembled at the training ground on the outskirts of the Devon city.

"We are really happy that we could step in and have pulled out all the stops to get this project off the ground," Brian Pester from newly appointed constructor Modulek told the club website.