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Construction has officially begun at Little Wembley, marking the next phase of Oldham's SportsTown development.
The milestone was celebrated with a ground-breaking ceremony attended by members of the Oldham Athletic Board of Directors and Oldham Council Leader, Councillor Arooj Shah.
The redevelopment of the former training ground is backed by an initial £5 million investment from the Government’s Community Regeneration Fund. The project will see the site transformed into a state-of-the-art 3G playing surface, becoming the permanent home of the Oldham Athletic Academy and a key community sports hub within the Boundary Park area.
The upgraded site will also support a variety of educational development courses and programmes, helping to advance the wider SportsTown initiative.
In a nod to the site's heritage, Club Chairman Frank Rothwell OBE broke ground using a ceremonial shovel originally presented to Oldham County in 1896 during the early construction of Boundary Park—just under 130 years ago.
"Little Wembley is an area which is steeped in history, so it is very fitting that this work should be the first to take place in the next phase of our developments.
"Once complete, Little Wembley will provide state-of-the-art 3G facilities which will become home to our academy as it develops following our return to the EFL. It will also become a hub for the young people in our community to engage in sport and allow multi-sport use which is central to education and wellbeing pathways at SportsTown.
“We’d again like to thank Oldham Council for their collaborative work which will allow us to provide a wonderful facility and game-changing opportunities for the young people of our town and within the club's academy."
