Debt-ridden Bolton Wanderers sells training ground to Wigan Athletic

Bolton Wanderers Football Club has sold its Euxton training ground to local rival Wigan Athletic.

The land has been purchased for an undisclosed sum by the Whelan family – the owners of League One club Wigan – to be used by its first team from the start of the 2016/17 season.

Wigan will remain at its current Christopher Park training ground until May. From next season, Christopher Park will become the home of the Wigan Athletic Academy.

“It’s integral to our future success that we have a high quality first team training ground, and an academy based in one location enabling it to grow and develop the players of the future,” said Wigan chair David Sharpe.

Championship club Bolton has racked up £172.9m (US$245.1m, €221.2m) debts – owed almost entirely to owner Eddie Davis – and will face a High Court ruling today over an unpaid £3m (US$4.3m, €3.8m) tax bill.

Davis has been trying to sell Bolton and has pledged to write off its debt if he does, but confirmed he will plough no more of his own money into the club. According to reports, a consortium headed up by former Bolton striker Dean Holdsworth – Sports Shield – has been given preferred bidder status.

A statement made by Bolton revealed that its first team and backroom staff “will begin a process to relocate [training ground] permanently” to a combination of the club’s other Lostock training ground and its home ground, the Macron Stadium.