League Two club Harrogate Town submits plans for new training hub at Wetherby Racecourse
Harrogate Town has submitted a full planning application to build a football training facility at Wetherby Racecourse.
The League Two club, together with Wetherby Steeplechase Committee Ltd, has lodged detailed plans for new training facilities and a clubhouse on the grounds of the racecourse.
Plans also include new access, parking, landscaping, ancillary structures, and floodlights on land currently used as parking space.
Harrogate Town has been searching for a suitable site to develop a new training facility for five years after the men’s team was promoted to the English Football League (EFL) in 2020. The teams currently use various training facilities across the region.
In a statement, the applicant said the new training centre represents a major investment in the future of the club and the wider community by creating a “high-quality training base that brings together the men’s and women’s first teams, academy players and grassroots football under one roof”.
It continues: “The vision for the scheme is to provide a central, accessible and sustainable hub for player development, health and wellbeing, and community participation.
“The facility will not only support Harrogate Town AFC’s ambitions on the pitch but will also deliver significant social value by providing opportunities for local schools, grassroots clubs, and community groups to benefit from enhanced sporting provision. The application site has been carefully selected following a review of alternative locations over a six-year period.
“The land at Wetherby Racecourse offers the unique combination of central accessibility, sufficient space, and the ability to integrate sensitively with its surroundings.”
Leeds City Council received the planning application at the end of November, following two pre-applications in 2024 and early 2025 and a community consultation in the summer that invited supporters and interested parties to share their views.
The application can be viewed in full via Leeds City Council’s public access portal. Comments on the proposed plans should be submitted by Friday, January 23, 2026.