Man Utd plans to relocate their women’s team to temporary buildings at their Carrington training complex next season, allowing the men’s squad to utilize the women’s facility during renovations, sources have confirmed.
According to a source, the decision to move the women’s team to portable buildings has left the players disappointed.
Last year, the club unveiled a £10 million ($12.6m) facility shared by the women’s team and academy, featuring amenities like a gym, rehabilitation areas, changing rooms, and a restaurant with live cooking. However, ongoing renovations now necessitate temporary arrangements.
The Guardian, which broke the news, noted that the portable buildings will house essential areas such as changing rooms, meeting rooms, offices, and communal spaces for the women’s team and staff. Despite the changes, they will continue to use the same pitches and canteen facilities as before.
Renovation work commenced recently on a £50 million upgrade of the men’s first-team building, scheduled for completion by the end of the 2024-25 season.
When revealing the £50m investment, the club said: “Temporary adaptations will be made to the rest of the Carrington site to ensure players and staff from all our teams can continue to operate successfully next season.”
News of the intention to move the women’s team to temporary buildings comes after INEOS chairman and United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said the plans for the women’s team are still to be confirmed.
“We haven’t got into that level of detail with the women’s team yet,” he told Bloomberg. “We’ve been pretty much focused on how we resolve the first team issues, and that’s been pretty full time for the first six months.”
When asked if the plans were to be confirmed, Ratcliffe responded, “Correct.”
Sources have revealed that United are set to lose one of their most high-profile players in Mary Earps, who has rejected a contract extension with the club, with the England goalkeeper closing in on a move to Paris Saint-Germain.