QPR plan bond scheme to help finance new training ground

QPR are set to ask their fans to help finance the club’s new training ground.

A bond scheme is favoured by chief executive Lee Hoos and was planned by Rangers as a way of funding a proposed new training ground at Warren Farm.

And it remains the club’s intention now the Warren Farm project has been ditched and contracts have been exchanged to build a training ground in Heston.

QPR’s owners are yet to formally decide on a funding model for the project.

But a bond scheme, largely based on those adopted by Norwich and Burnley, will be Hoos’ recommendation to the board.

Hoos’ former club Burnley used a similar method to finance the development of their training ground, as did Norwich with their academy facility.

Portsmouth and Stevenage have also used similar schemes for their academy and building of a new stand respectively.

West London Sport revealed in May that Rangers were abandoning the Warren Farm project and later revealed the Heston site had been identified as an alternative.

It came after eight-and-a-half years of legal wrangling over Warren Farm – the club’s plans were met with a series of objections from local residents.

Rangers announced in July that contracts have been exchanged with Imperial College, which currently owns the site on Crane Lodge Road.

It was previously owned by British Airways and is commonly still known as the Concorde Club despite being renamed Heston Venue.

QPR already have a presence at the site – the club’s academy teams are based there.

Imperial also own Rangers’ current training ground, at Harlington. Both facilities are close to Heathrow Airport.

When will QPR move to the new training ground?

Rangers plan a phased move from Harlington to Heston.

The intention is for the first-team squad to begin using the new training ground once new pitches have been laid there.

The current expectation is that this will happen during the summer of 2022, in time for the beginning of the 2022-23 season.

Portakabins are then likely to be used at Heston as QPR begin using it as a base while upgrading the facility, which is 27 acres – more than double the size of the training ground at Harlington.

Rangers’ lease at Harlington was due to expire this year and has been extended until 2022.