chief executive hails lennoxtown opening

David Friel
CELTIC Chief Executive Peter Lawwell has hailed the opening of the new Lennoxtown Training Centre as a monumental step forward for the club.

Joining Chairman Brian Quinn, manager Gordon Strachan and captain Stephen McManus at the grand opening, the Chief Executive paid tribute to those who worked tirelessly to deliver the first-class facility, which he feels will prove immensely beneficial for Celtic in the future.

“We’re thrilled and very proud to be opening this centre,” he said. “It’s been a long haul. When we were first presented with the site, we had a vision to create something special and I think we have done that.

“We are proud of it, and hopefully the supporters are proud of it. Everybody in the community is also proud of it. It’s a great day for the club.”

The Celtic Training Centre boasts a wealth of first-class facilities including natural grass and artificial pitches, indoor training hall, state-of-the-art fitness centre and hydrotherapy pool.

“I think it is everything we imagined and probably even more,” added Celtic’s Chief Executive.

“We acquired 46 acres of land at the site and we’ve only developed half of that so far. There is plenty of room for expansion and, as time goes on, hopefully we’ll be able to improve it even more.

“The stadium is magnificent. We find when people come to Celtic Park, it’s as good as they’ll get anywhere else. The pull of Celtic is already very strong for players and this can only add it to it.

“We can now demonstrate a world-class training centre on top of a world-class stadium, for what I believe is a world-class club. It’s fitting for a club of this stature.

“In terms of youth development, we have had fantastic success over the years. The right people and structures are in place already and this will only enhance and improve that.

“The club is a good place at the moment. You can’t be too complacent, but we are in a good place. Financially, we have a strong foundation while on the pitch, Gordon Strachan has worked wonders and the players have performed fantastically.

“We now have a foundation and infrastructure that should take us forward. But we are not complacent and we’re not looking back. We’re looking at where we are today and we want to take the club forward.”