English FA Announce National Training Facility

[Noucamp99]

Plans for a permanent training base for the England team have been revived by the Football Association.
The 330-acre National Football Centre in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, will be renamed St George's Park.
It will feature 12 pitches, including one synthetic and indoor, plus sports medicine and sports science facilities, two hotels and a conference centre.
England boss Fabio Capello said: "It will be an inspirational site for coaches and players to develop."
The scheme, which will fulfil a similar role to France's Clairefontaine and Coverciano in Italy, was first announced eight years ago.
Since then, the FA have sunk £25m into the project.
Capello added: "This is a much-needed facility and through my own experiences at Coverciano in Italy I understand the importance of the centre for England."
NFC chairman David Sheepshanks stated: "Our aim is to make St George's Park a sporting destination of choice for coaches, players, administrators and officials alike.
"In Wembley we have a world-class stadium and in St George's Park we have the place to inspire world-class performance."
The League Managers Association have committed to making the new centre their future headquarters.
The plans also include a private housing scheme for 30 homes near the entrance to the centre that will help plug a funding gap.

This cannot be a white elephant, and there is a robust business plan that makes this viable and sustainable
NFC chairman David Sheepshanks
Sheepshanks told a news conference in Burton: "We feel it is time the NFC had a new identity and we hope this name St George's Park will reflect the sense of national pride that will accompany the centre when it is open.
"Every single leading European country has a national football centre - even Bulgaria - and we are the only leading European country that does not.
"Every country that has won the World Cup has one apart from us."
Sheepshanks insisted, however, that the St George's Park development, which is being sponsored by Umbro, would not be a mere replica of other centres, and would not be a youth academy but would be a base for all England senior, junior and disability teams.
He added: "We are not here to replicate any one of the other centres, we have been to look at them and share best practices to pick up the best ideas to serve our needs.
"This is not a finishing school for young players, that role is carried out very well by the Premier League and Football League clubs.
"This is not an academy and is not in competition with our professional clubs."
There has been some opposition to the location of the centre so far from London but Sheepshanks said Burton was a central point for the whole country, and stressed that it would not be a financial burden on the FA.
"This cannot be a white elephant, and there is a robust business plan that makes this viable and sustainable," he added.

Source: bbc.co.uk

I like the name! Should conjure up a fighting spirit. Also, a proper training centre with it's own identity is a positive move forward.

[Noucamp99]

NFC renamed 'St George's Park'
Wednesday, 20 January, 2010
Public consultation begins on newly renamed 'St George's Park'.

The FA has today commenced a public consultation by unveiling an exciting new vision and design for the National Football Centre (NFC) at Burton-upon-Trent.

In a collaborative venture between The FA and sponsors Umbro, the NFC will be renamed ‘St George’s Park’ to reflect the feeling of national pride which will accompany this site.

St George’s Park will provide an inspirational centre for The FA to deliver its coach education agenda and a learning and development centre for refereeing, administration, medical and sports science disciplines. It will also be the training home for the England Senior team and 21 other squads supported by The FA.

Situated on a 330-acre site in the heart of England, St George’s Park is accessible for the entire game, within easy reach of all major transport connections. The Park’s facilities will comprise 12 full-size football pitches including one synthetic pitch and one full-size indoor facility along with a multi-purpose sports hall.

The site will feature a 150-bed four star hotel, an 80-bed three star hotel, a regional conference facility, banqueting suite, training and seminar rooms, including a 90-seat lecture theatre and modern digitally equipped library.

Housed on the site will be a flexible indoor sports hall with facilities for Futsal, partially sighted football, 12 badminton courts and a state-of-the-art full size indoor pitch. Linking the buildings will be players’ changing facilities, a cutting-edge gymnasium and hydrotherapy suite with accompanying sports medicine and sports science facilities.

St George’s Park will become the home of FA Learning, The FA’s educational division, which takes over 40,000 individuals each year through a wide variety of bespoke training courses.

The League Managers Association (LMA) – the representative voice of all managers from The FA, Premier League and Football League – has also committed to making St George’s Park its future headquarters.

The Umbro-sponsored St George’s Park will significantly boost grassroots football regionally and will feature accessible community-use pitches and facilities, which will substantially enhance what is currently available for the local community.

England Coach Fabio Capello has pledged his support for the site, saying: “The venue will be an inspirational site, a place for coaches and players to work, learn and develop.

“This is a much needed facility and through my own experiences at Coverciano in Italy I understand the importance of the Centre for England.”

NFC Board Chairman David Sheepshanks said: “Our aim is to make St George’s Park a sporting destination of choice for coaches, players, administrators and officials alike: in Wembley we have a world class stadium and in St George’s Park we have the place to inspire world class performance.

“While football must always come first, our intended affiliation with Universities and Higher Education providers can, I believe, herald a step change in the provision of coach education and career development.

“We have consulted extensively over the last 12 months with the many organisations involved in English football and as stakeholders in this project they have pledged their strong support. There is a widespread recognition of the need for this facility, one that can potentially help draw the game together and deliver a lasting and tangible legacy for the future of English football.

“Our freehold site is situated in the heart of the National Forest, a most special part of England and an area that combines natural beauty with seclusion.

“We want to work in partnership with our neighbours and make a meaningful contribution to their community. We shall listen to their ideas, answer any concerns, and altogether aim to develop a sustainable facility that has due regard for local and environmental sensitivities.”

Martin Prothero, Senior Vice President, Umbro added: “St George's Park holds the future hopes and prosperity of English football at its heart and for that reason Umbro has been a passionate supporter right from its conception. Umbro firmly believe that by investing in the next generation of players, coaches and referees we can give the whole game a boost and drive the future health of the national sport.

“As a brand, Umbro is uniquely positioned both on the field of play and within the culture that surrounds the game. We believe that St George's Park will be critical in shaping both of these facets of the game. We value our partnership in this project and will continue to put it at the heart of our strategy as we move forward.”

The consultation process is underway locally ahead of a detailed planning application being submitted to East Staffordshire Borough Council late next month. Public exhibitions will now take place at Tatenhill Village Hall between 20-21 January 2010 and at the Octagon Centre, Burton-upon-Trent, between 22-23 January 2010.

Source: thefa.com

[anjellara]

Hello Everyone,
The FA have revealed plans for a new state-of-the-art training centre for England teams in Burton-on-Trent on 19th JAN.

The 330-acre National Football Centre (NFC) will feature 12 full-size pitches, including one artificial and one indoor, as well as sports medicine and sports science facilities, two hotels and a conference centre.

"The venue will be an inspirational site, a place for coaches and players to work, learn and develop," said England manager Fabio Capello, according to Press Association Sport

[Noucamp99]

Hi. I think that having a national football centre is a great idea. The FA, though, have missed a trick here. When they knocked down Wembley, why didn't they build the new national football stadium as close to the training base and all the hotels and equipment as possible? It seems a strange decision, tbh. Burton is around 120 miles or 2 1/2 hours drive from Wembley!