A behind the scenes look at Rochdale Cricket Club, where the players have been training this summer…
We’re pleased to say that we have strengthened our links with Rochdale Cricket Club, which is situated a mere two-minute drive from the Crown Oil Arena.
The players and staff have called it their home over the last few weeks since returning for pre-season training, and you can take a look behind the scenes at the venue by watching the video on our YouTube channel at the bottom of this article.
Previously, the players would get changed at the Crown Oil Arena before walking to the Cricket Club to train. They would then walking back up to the ground to shower and eat before heading home.
But now, the doors at the Cricket Club have been opened and we have access to all rooms and facilities there.
There are shower facilities, dedicated socialising rooms, space for our physio to work with the players, as well as a room which has been turned into a gym using our own equipment from the club. In addition to the two pitches that the players and staff can utilise, we have, for the first time, a full-time chef who uses the kitchen at the Cricket Club to prepare healthy, hot meals for the players to eat once they have finished training. That has taken away the need to order in pre-prepared meals.
All of this means the players only need to visit the Crown Oil Arena for games, retaining that special feeling of arriving at the ground on matchday.
As we approach the Autumn and Winter months, Platt Lane in Manchester, where we’ve trained for the last few seasons will continue to be utilised. This is to allow the training pitches at the Cricket Club to be kept in good order for other residents of the facility that use the pitches. It’s expected that the players will use Platt Lane a couple of times a week, while being based at the Cricket Club on the other days.
Rochdale Cricket Club is as close as the Club has ever had to a home base and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for welcoming us in. Rochdale Football Club is, however, still very committed to developing its own facilities and work continues behind the scenes regarding this.