Sheffield United’s training ground is a state-of-the-art facility in Shirecliffe and is named the Randox Health Academy for sponsorship purposes. The Blades opened their training complex back in 2002.
Richard Caborn, as then Minister for Sport, opened the doors to Sheffield United’s training ground. It is also the home of Sheffield United’s academy and women’s sides. While the Blades also invested in a redevelopment project in 2022 to improve the pitches with one echoing the one used at Bramall Lane.
Sheffield United training ground name
Sheffield United announced in October 2021 a further strengthening of their sponsorship partnership with Randox to name their training ground. The Blades originally named the site the Sheffield United Academy. While fans also often name the training ground Shirecliffe owing to the complex’s location.
How many pitches are there at the Randox Health Academy?
Sheffield United sought to address long-standing concerns about the pitches at the Randox Health Academy training ground in 2022. The Blades invested £2m on a development project which saw the Blades improve the drainage and install undersoil heating on the pitches available at their complex.
The club also re-laid and levelled out the main pitch used by the Sheffield United first-team squad. It also now features the same DESSO surface used at Bramall Lane so that Paul Heckingbottom’s team train on the same pitch they play on. The previous surface had helped to cause a number of injuries.
The DESSO surface Sheffield United use at Bramall Lane and Randox Health Academy is a part-synthetic and part-turf pitch. While the main pitch at their Randox Health Academy training ground is a UEFA-sized field. There is also one just shy of Bramall Lane’s, a three-quarter-sized and a goalkeeping area.
Heckingbottom sought to level out the main pitch at Sheffield United’s training ground as it was on a slope. Its poor design meant the surface became a lake following heavy rain that overwhelmed their previous draining system. It further meant the Blades could not always train on a consistent surface.
What other facilities does Sheffield United’s training ground have?
Along with the four pitches of varying sizes, including one AstroTurf pitch, United’s training ground features an indoor facility. There is also a fully-equipped gym and some office spaces.
Sheffield United have eyes on a new training ground
Sheffield United announced additions to the facilities at the Randox Health Academy in 2020 with a state-of-the-art first-team training centre. The project would have featured the pre-construction of a two-storey building with a gym, training area and offices plus physiotherapy and hydrotherapy zones.
The Blades also planned for the building to feature bespoke changing facilities with heat therapy and relaxation areas. Their plans also featured enhanced medical and kit facilities, a restaurant and a gym with altitude training chambers. But the club shelved the plans in 2022 to focus on finding a new site.
Sheffield United initially sought to move into a new training ground that hosts their first-team, youth and women’s sides. But The Star reported in June 2022 that the Blades had switched tact to finding a location only for the first-team. The academy team would continue to use their complex in Shirecliffe.
What is the address?
Randox Health Academy: Firshill Crescent, South Yorkshire, Sheffield, S4 7DR