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St George's Park National Football Centre

Coordinates: 52°48′32″N 1°45′22″W / 52.809°N 1.756°W / 52.809; -1.756 (St George's Park National Football Centre)
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St George's Park
Established2012
ChairDavid Sheepshanks
Location
Burton upon Trent
,
England
Coordinates52°48′32″N 1°45′22″W / 52.809°N 1.756°W / 52.809; -1.756 (St George's Park National Football Centre)

St George's Park is the Football Association's national football centre under construction on a 330-acre (130 ha) site at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire and is due to be completed in 2012.[1]

SGP represents a significant investment by the FA and will be the base for all coaching and development work undertaken by the FA and will be the training and preparation ground for all of the England teams.

Design and facilities

Designed by internationally renowned architects Red Box Design Group, which has its HQ in Newcastle Upon Tyne. The centre will boast 12 world-class training pitches, both grass and artificial surfaces, and a full-sized indoor pitch. It will also have state-of-the-art hydrotherapy suites, biomechanics and training gyms, video analysis amenities, educational and coaching suites and medical and sport science facilities.[2]

A CGI model of St George's Park

Red Box has a specialism in sports architecture having also designed the Sunderland Aquatic Centre, Sunderland Football Club's Academy of Light and Durham County Cricket Club.

Finance

SGP will cost approximately £100million and between 2001 and January 2010 The FA had spent £25m on the project. The centre will be sponsored by sports manufacturer Umbro.[3] The 350-acre (140 ha) site was purchased by The FA for £2 million in 2001[4] following FA technical director Howard Wilkinson's preparations for the Centre.

Will be sponsored by Nike not Umbro starting in 2013. [5]

Usage

The project's 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."[3]

Once completed, St George's Park is intended to be the training base for 24 England teams.[6] It will act as the focal point for the FA's coaching and player development work. The national football centre will also include offices for the FA's technical experts and accommodation for 300 and sports science and medicine facilities.[4]

The League Managers Association has committed itself to making the new centre their future headquarters.[7]

Critical response

It has been argued by some that the facility is unnecessary. Sam Wallace, a football journalist for The Independent once wrote: "The problem for the FA is that as long as it sits there unfinished, Burton is a stick which the FA's critics use to beat it."[8] Work had been halted on the project in 2004 as the FA focussed its financial efforts on the building of the new Wembley Stadium. In early 2008, the plans were resurrected, with Trevor Brooking calling for the project to be finished by 2010, stating that without a national football centre "the England coach's job will get that much harder."[4]

References

  1. ^ "Are club and country now working together?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 February 2012. {{cite news}}: Text "BBC.co.uk" ignored (help); Text "Football" ignored (help); Text "date:2 February 2012" ignored (help)
  2. ^ "St George's Park: A tour of England's new training base". BBC. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  3. ^ a b "England finally unveil St George's Park - their own Clairefontaine". London: The Guardian. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010. {{cite news}}: Text "Football" ignored (help); Text "guardian.co.uk" ignored (help)
  4. ^ a b c Slater, Matt (2007). "How will English football develop?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  5. ^ http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1150289/fa-confirm-nike-deal-for-england?cc=5901
  6. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19530548
  7. ^ "FA revives plans to build England base at Burton". BBC Sport. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  8. ^ Wallace, Sam (18 January 2010). "The biggest problem with Burton? England do not have any need for it". London: The Independent. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
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