Exclusive:Sheffield Wednesday’s academy set for seven-figure revamp

The club will undergo the usual renovations ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, with the senior training pitches being ripped up and re-laid, while there is also believed to be talk about further upgrades to the first team facilities as well.

One thing definitely in the works, however, are substantial upgrades to the academy structure at Middlewood Road, with a new ‘state-of-the-art’ artificial pitch being installed as well as four new dressing rooms, new male and female officials’ changing rooms and a new reception area. There is also going to be a social area built so that scholars and parents can watch training ‘from an indoor environment’.

The new pitch, which is the same one used by Dutch Eredivisie giants, PSV Eindhoven, has been described as the most ‘grass-like’ artificial surface available in the world. It will be laid by the club’s training dome, which is due to remain in place.

Sheffield Wednesday set to spent on training facilities

It's understood that the upgrades are due to set the club back a seven-figure sum, but that it’s deemed to be an important step in order to separate academy from seniors as much as possible, whilst also giving the youngsters the best experience that they can.

New Academy Manager, Jon Pepper, is thought to be having a big hand in the changes being made as he looks to improve the academy’s output when it comes to players making it at first team level, and the hope is that in years to come the benefits will be there for all to see.

Wednesday have some very promising talents making their way through the youth system at the moment, with teenagers Will Grainger and Caelan-Kole Cadamarteri, seen as two of the most promising. The idea is that the new renovations will give players like them the best opportunity to maximise on their development.

It’s unknown at this point when the planned changes will be completed, but the hope – no doubt – is to have as much of it done and dusted by the time players return for preseason in a few months’ time.

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