NEWPORT County AFC and Newport Live have announced a new partnership that will give the Exiles access to the best training facilities the city has to offer.

County manager Warren Feeney expressed his frustration at the lack of facilities available to him and his squad last season.

And the club and Newport Live, the charitable trust that operates Spytty Park and other former council-run leisure facilities in the city, have been in discussions since the issue came to a head in April.

County have now announced that a deal has been agreed for the first team to train at Spytty Park and have full access to all Newport Live facilities for pre-match preparations.

A club statement reads: “Newport County AFC are delighted to announce a landmark deal with Newport Live that will enhance the club's facilities at Spytty Park.

“The deal will see the team move into new training facilities, giving the squad full access to an array of training pitches and high-quality gym facilities, including the pool at the Newport International Sports Village.

“The first-team staff and management have begun the process of moving into offices at the stadium and are already enjoying the benefits of training on the high-¬‐quality training surface at Spytty Park on a daily basis.

“As part of the deal, the squad will be able to use the impressive gym facilities at Newport International Sports Village to enhance their training programme and aid recovery sessions.”

Manager Warren Feeney is delighted with the collaboration with Newport Live after complaining about the club’s training facilities last season.

"The deal will see the club make massive strides forward in terms of having a permanent training base here in the City of Newport," Feeney told the club website.

"My staff and I have been in constant dialogue with Newport Live to make them aware of the needs of the first-team and they been very accommodating in allowing us to use their facilities.

“Our thanks go to Steve Ward and his staff and also to the board of directors for getting this deal over the line, and we look forward to a very successful partnership.

"The deal will give the first-team a high quality base to work from, ensuring that we have the best facilities to prepare for matches.

“This will be a huge benefit to us, in terms of the facilities that we can now use that are right on our doorstep.

"We will now be available to train on the pitch on a daily basis and have backup pitches available, as well as the access to the gym and pool, that means we will always have high-quality training facilities to use.

"We will work on building the relationship further and look forward to working with all the employees at Newport Live."

Newport Live commercial director Andrea Hall said: "Newport Live are thrilled to have finalised the agreement with Newport County AFC, which will see the team base their training ground at Newport Stadium and enable the squad to benefit from the use of the facilities across our sites – including Wales National Velodrome, the regional swimming pool and tennis centre and Newport Centre.

"Working with Warren and his team has been an absolute pleasure.

“We are excited to develop our relationship with the club further, as we believe this opportunity fits very well with our organisation's strategy.

"Newport Live is a social enterprise and registered charitable trust, which means the money we make is ploughed back into the services and facilities we offer, as we continue to inspire people to be happier and healthier.

“Its agreements such as this that will see us forge stronger relationships with many people across our City and we look forward to working with all of the team involved across Newport County AFC."