Rovers manager Sam Allardyce and Reserve team boss Iain Brunskill were special guests at Leigh Sports Village on Wednesday, the new home for Rovers' Reserves for next season.

The two managers were given a special guided tour of their new surroundings, which is also home to Leigh Centurions Rugby League side and Leigh Genesis Football Club.

Former Rovers captain, Garry Flitcroft, now manager of Leigh Genesis,  was also on hand to show Allardyce and Brunskill around the new stadium.



The purpose built Leigh Sports Village features a 10,000 seater stadium, an athletics track, a sixth form college, office space and a newly opened hotel, and Iain Brunskill was hugely impressed with his new home venue.

"It is fantastic, it is obviously a brand new facility," said the Reserve team manager.

"Even though the pitch is currently in the stages of being regenerated, I've been speaking to Garry Flitcroft who says how good the pitch is, so we will be looking forward to that.

"Obviously it is a vital part of what we want to do, not only in terms of the younger players playing on a good surface and being conducive to the way we want to play.

"I think it also helps when you do have to use some of the senior players to top their fitness up, so it is obviously a big boost to them to come a facility like this."

Fixtures for the 2009/10 Barclays Reserve League North should be announced within the next two weeks. Blackburn Rovers Season Ticket Holders will be able to gain free admission to all home league games.

Caption: Rovers boss Sam Allardyce shakes hands with Leigh Sports Village chief executive Simon Toon, watched by Iain Brunskill (far right), manager of Rovers Reserves, and Andrew Pincher, Rovers' football secretary