Bradford City to train in Leeds

Last updated : 21 April 2010 By BBC Sport

"The place is top class, a very good facility and a lot better than what we've got and certainly up to Championship standard."

"There's some very good facilities for us to use, Bulgaria trained there during Euro '96."

The move to Weetwood could attract some controversy as it sees the club moving out of Bradford, but Lawn feels they had no other option.

"It would have been very nice if Bradford Council had done something, but if they don't offer anything then we have to go where we can go," he added.

The transfer of training facilities is thought to have been recommended by current Bradford manager Peter Taylor, who is still in negotiations with the club board over a deal for next season and beyond.

We've had great backing from the fans, we can't turn around and thank them enough for what they've done

Bradford joint-chairman Mark Lawn

"We're moving on with it," Lawn said. "I think we've come to an agreement with Peter, there's only the odd bits and pieces to sort out.

"I won't say what they are as they are personal to Peter, but it's certainly not the facilities or the budget we've given him."

While the negotiations continue Lawn admits that he has been happy with how Taylor has turned City's season around.

"He came in and steadied the ship, got rid of some of the high wages very quickly which helped us, and then brought some people in which obviously got us the points that made us safe," he said.

"I've got to be honest I was panicking a bit at one stage."

Lawn has warned that if not enough fans take advantage of their cut-price season ticket off then they will not be able to do the same next season.

Fans have until 9 May to buy adult season tickets at £184, and Lawn is hoping there is enough interest in the deal but admits tickets are not selling as fast as he would like.

"It's very, very slow," he said. I think some of them are looking to see what sort of manager we're going to get.

"We're about at present 3,000 short and we need to get those people down and more if we can."

"Even more if we can, the more we get, the more money we can give Peter Taylor."

"The one thing that [fellow joint-chairman] Julian Rhodes and myself do is not take anything out of this club, so whatever we get in goes into the facilities and the players."

"We've had great backing from the fans, we can't turn around and thank them enough for what they've done," he added.

"But there is a reality, if we don't get 10,000 at this sort of price then we wont be able to do it again, and next year we'll have to take it back to normal prices.

"We've had the fan-base, and I know that over the last seven or eight years they've not had a lot to shout about. But the one thing that they've had is value."

Source: BBC Sport

Source: BBC Sport