22-01-2010, 12:57 PM
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
![[Image: nfc_bl.jpg]](http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/DJ/20061013/nfc_bl.jpg)
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