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Building work has started at Coventry City’s Ryton training ground.

The Sky Blues training facility is being upgraded to provide a bit of luxury and more professional feel for the players who are currently pushing hard for promotion back to the Championship.

Manager Mark Robins has managed to get backing for brand new changing rooms at the eight acre site at Ryton-on-Dunsmore which are hoped to be complete by the end of the month.

The main work has been taking place this week, coinciding with Robins giving his squad and staff a well-earned break after a gruelling schedule of seven games in the space of 21 days.

“I am giving them some time off, not least because we are having a new dressing room delivered and installed,” said the City boss, who explained the building is a ‘modular’ structure that comes ready built and is winched into place by a crane.

“They are coming in with this crane so they are taking down the netting and poles because a crane has to come down the drive and lift this thing over the building and placed in situ.

“It might take a couple of days so I am going to take advantage of it by giving them some time away because we don’t want any mishaps.”

Robins is hoping the players will receive a boost from better facilities at the tired looking training ground which will be among the best compared to League One and Two clubs, but not a patch on Premier League and Championship clubs – most of which have state of the art training camps.

“The dressing room will be finished by the end of the month and that will give them a lift,” said Robins.

“It’s probably one of those things where the builders tell you one thing and then it drags on a little bit.

“But it will be more than welcome, that’s for sure.”

City’s long-term plan is to move to a new site and build a new training facility.

The club put forward proposals back in 2018 to build houses on the eight-acre site, with the sale of the land funding a new facility elsewhere.

The training ground was included as ‘residential allocation’ in Rugby Borough Council’s Local Plan, which was adopted by the council in June 2019.

The allocation of around 75 homes comes with the following condition: ‘Implementation of site allocation DS3.7 can only occur when adequate replacement of the pitch provision and training facility has been made to the satisfaction of Rugby Borough Council and Sport England in accordance with national planning policy.’

A statement released by the club in 2018 revealed it had found a suitable alternative site for a new training ground and other facilities.

It read: “CCFC have secured an option to purchase land to develop a new state of the art training ground, on a site which is significantly larger than the current eight-acre one at Ryton.

“Training facilities for the first team and under 23s will be significantly improved, providing an elite environment for players and staff for many years to come – including changing rooms, gym, kitchens, dining room, laundry, offices and other facilities.”

The location has been kept firmly under wraps, due to what the club described as “commercial and legal sensitivities”.