Wolverhampton Wanderers have used the Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground as the club’s base since its opening in 2005. The site is often called Compton Park owing to its location. But Wolves officially named the site after their former owner, who oversaw their project to completion late in his tenure.
The training ground is located one mile from Wolves’ stadium, Molineux, and homes their first-team and academy sides. While the complex also now features a host of facilities after the West Midlands outfit funded a number of renovation projects to keep their ground up to Premier League standards.
Wolverhampton Wanderers training ground name
Wolves gave their training ground the name of the club’s former owner, Sir Jack Hayward. He funded the development of the site to completion in November 2005 after purchasing the land at Compton Park. But their plans to create a purpose-built site were the work of former manager Graham Taylor.
How many pitches do Wolves have at Compton Park?
The Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground has five pitches, while Wolves have installed undersoil heating at some. Wolves also invested in two state-of-the-art ‘Desso Grassmaster’ pitches that are part grass and part plastic as part of a £50m redevelopment project during Steve Morgan’s spell as the owner.
What other facilities do Wolves have at their training ground?
Wolves’ £50m redevelopment project also added a number of other facilities to the club’s training ground. One of the additions was the installation of floodlights for one of the pitches at the Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground. Both of the pitches are at the rear of the site and are encircled by trees.
The project also saw Wolves build a separate academy building and a full-size indoor pitch. While a further set of upgrades during Fosun’s ownership improved the canteen and warm-up areas. There are also weight and cardio equipment, plus a miniature cricket pitch and iPads that offer instant feedback.
Wolves invested in the physiotherapy area of their training ground, too, with a one-man swimming pool in which they can insert a treadmill. While Wolves’ Under-21 squad also have their own physio area having previously shared with the first-team. There are also lounge, office and media spaces on site.
Wolverhampton Wanderers used to use the Compton Park fields
Wolves’ Sir Jack Howard Training Ground is a far cry from their previous training methods. Players at one point in time would train on a concrete car park and use traffic cones for goalposts and the brick wall behind the goal. Even through the early 2000s, Compton Park was far from the site it is today.
Taylor urged Hayward to fund the construction of the club’s first purpose-built training ground since Wolves sold off their previous Castlecroft complex in the 1980s. The West Midlands outfit needed to raise funds at the time and would go on to train on rented pitches behind a factory on Stafford Road.
Wolves later began training on the fields that made up Compton Park before Hayward bought them to build a training ground. Players had to get changed at Molineux before driving to training and ate at the Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, causing them to rub shoulders with their fans.
The situation often caused friction when times got tough with the site near to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, the South Staffordshire Railway Walk and the Smestow Valley Nature Reserve. But Wolves’ Sir Jack Howard Training Ground is now a complex fit for any national team to train at.
What is the address?
Compton Park: Training Ground, Douglas Turner Way, Compton, Wolverhampton, WV3 9BF