Carlisle United director on training ground and other plans

And Tom II says he hopes an announcement on the project can be made “very soon”, with plans for some of the new facility to be ready in the coming months.

United have pinpointed a preferred site for the major development with its location currently being kept under wraps.

It is set to form a major part of the Piataks’ investment in and plans for the growth of the club.

On the funding of the development, Tom II said: “Castle Sports Group will be putting in what we need to – we expect it to honestly be the vast majority of it.

• LISTEN: Tom Piatak II on training ground, stadium developments and more...

“Anything else that we can get beyond that is helpful. But we've made the commitment that this is something we want to do, something we believe is key to making the club financially stable going forward.

“You have to put in the work on the front end to get those results on the back end. We have absolutely no issue putting up what we've committed to.”

Asked when fans were likely to have news on the proposed site, Tom II said: “I would like to think [it’s] close.

“We’ve been back and forth with the council a few times. But the discussions have all been positive. They have shown the desire to want to work with us and we definitely believe we’ve shown the desire we want to work with them.

“There were three or four sites that we had on the shortlist, we believe we've identified the one we think would be best for everybody. And it's just ironing out a few last kinks in it.

“But I would like to say very soon. Hopefully we want to have the grass down by the start of next season. So [an announcement] would definitely be before that.”

The facility is set to see a staged development and, asked when the entire training ground complex was hoped to be completed, Tom II said: “With construction you never know how long that can take.

“Optimistically I would say two to three years would probably be a somewhat realistic goal, if things were to move as fast as we would like them to.

“Things like zoning plans, and everything like that is a whole different process than just the construction plans. And sometimes you have to work with more than one party to get that all figured out.

“But we're definitely wanting to move as fast as possible. So as much as we can get on the fast track, we will.”

United’s American owners are also poised to carry out some major developments in Brunton Park, with the East Stand set to see considerable upgrading with new facilities, including executive boxes and lounges.

More facilities for fans at the Warwick Road End are also in the pipeline, with the club expecting news on planning permission soon, and contractors’ quotes being assessed for the work.

That work is set to start as soon as the season is over. “There were a few things that we were hoping to do in between home games, but I think there's maybe one stretch where it's where you get a week and a half between home games, and none of the contractors said that they could commit to being done with that particular project within that time, which is totally understandable,” said Tom II.

“So it will be something that, once the final ball is kicked on the season, we'll be looking to kick off as soon as possible.”

Come the new campaign in August, Tom II said he hoped fans would experience the ground as “a slightly modernised version of itself.

“We love Brunton Park, we love the history of it. So we're not looking to make radical changes in terms of the stadium itself,” he added.

United have big plans for the East Stand this summer (Image: Barbara Abbott)

“But in terms of the East Stand, and potentially behind the Warwick Road End – those areas we hope to have completed by the start of next season.

“Again, that does come down to some of the contracting work and how long that might take but we're going to be pressing to get that done as fast as possible.”

Tom II stressed that the above projects were part of the family’s major long-term and financial commitment to United, which has also recently included talks to remove the £2.45m debt from the club.

The Piataks bought the debt from previous lenders Puerpay Retail Limited when completing their takeover last November.

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“We’ve got with the accountants, they've gone through it, and they've said that this is going to be the way that it's going to go and it'll work, but it won't affect the club negatively,” said Tom II. “And we'll be able to waive it on our side.

“Now, of course, the solicitors want to review the agreement as well. So that may take a couple of weeks, but we believe it's set, we believe we have the plan in place. And once we can hit the button, we're going to hit that and that £2.45 debt that dates back…that will be gone.”

Tom II, along with wife and fellow director Alice, are set to return to the USA after this weekend’s game against Stevenage, and he says the couple have been busy working on other fronts at United during their latest visit.

“Alice has been put on the board of the Community Sports Trust – she met with them first last week, and then I know they had a very productive hour and a half call [on Wednesday] night,” he said.

Alice Piatak is getting involved with United's community sports trust (Image: Barbara Abbott)

“She's really excited to be part of that and believes the Trust is a very key part of things – they have the badge, and the stuff they do for the community is extremely important.

“She’s been working on that and has been integrating herself into their system and their programme, and we’re really looking forward to seeing where she can go with that.

“She loves what they do now, and hopefully we can just continue to do more of that.”

Asked what his message to fans would be amid the struggles on the pitch and the major plans off it, Tom II added: “I would say first and foremost we can’t appreciate you enough.

“Keep the faith, the boys are going to keep fighting. We're going to keep doing everything we can here that we can off the pitch. And we believe that the future of Carlisle United is extremely positive.”