Chairman praises Barrow link-up

Keen believes the Salford link-up will also benefit young players in Barrow

Barrow chairman Brian Keen believes that the Bluebirds' new tie-up with Salford Sports Village is already proving beneficial to the club.

The Bluebirds will train three days a week at the facility from next season.

"It's feeding out now and we are getting some very encouraging calls about some higher-grade players so we have stepped up," Keen said.

"I won't name any names but we're having some very high-breed ex-League players approaching us."

The club will use the state-of-the-art facilities in the North West city, where Bluebirds joint-boss Darren Sheridan is a coach.

It's going to put us on equal status to Football League clubs

Barrow chairman Brian Keen

The site includes several grass football pitches and two third-generation synthetic pitches.

"It's going to be a real asset for Barrow," Keen said. "League clubs were after it but in the end the negotiations finished in our favour.

"The actual facilities you've got to see to believe. It's just fantastic. It's going to put us on equal status to Football League clubs."

Keen has also been quick to stress that the link with Salford will also benefit the development of young footballers from the Furness area in the future.

"This isn't just going to stay at Salford," Keen told BBC Radio Cumbria's Matchnight programme.

"This will link-up with the Barrow football fraternity and will be integrated," he said. "It will be a facility that can also bring young local players with ability and take them down to Salford and see the learning they can do as well."

Keen said the club would continue to operate within a strict budget as they look to make themselves more competitive in the Blue Square Premier next season.

"There is money there but I wish it was as big as some people thought," he said. "The (facilities) at Salford would cost a fortune to have this anywhere else.

"All our budgeting is linked within the new facility. So far, nobody has turned any of the negotiations down. It's within the budgets we've been setting and is looking good."

The Barrow chairman has also called for the local community to continue to get behind the club in their numbers.

"We need more members. The more we've got in the bin, the more we can do," Keen said.