Richard Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Surprised there isn't a thread on this, maybe I have missed it. The New FA centre was officially opened today. Top notch world class facility that caters for the elite game and grass roots. A facility to be proud that we have in this country and I hope it brings success to our national game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Watched a little of the press conference and it confirmed again Hodgson's suitability for the job ahead of that spiv Redknapp. Woy may be boring but he conducts himself well (except maybe whilst on the tube). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villarule123 Posted October 9, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted October 9, 2012 It's a start but it needs to be a long, long term plan, a plan that they need to stick to otherwise it won't work. It will take at least 10 years for anything to come out of it if you're talking major tournaments, as we need to change our style of play entirely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 I think the 10 year timescale you have given there is something that the FA would agree with wholeheartedly villarule Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted October 9, 2012 Moderator Share Posted October 9, 2012 (edited) Just so everyone knows what on earth this topic is on about Play media St George's Park centre of excellence officially opened Football Association chairman David Bernstein has described the opening of its new centre of excellence as an "historic" day for the English game. The £105m St George's Park complex in Staffordshire will house all 24 England teams, from junior to senior levels. "We have to get more players through who can be full England internationals and this is where it will happen," Bernstein told BBC Radio 5 live. "So much work has gone into this for so long and to see it now is fantastic." The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were given a tour of the park The 330-acre site was officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who were given a tour of the park. Prince William, who is president of the Football Association, said: "Coming here and seeing these wonderful facilities gives me the same feeling as when I first went to the Olympic Park. "It gives me great pride we have created in this country facilities that are beyond compare anywhere else. "St George's Park is a concept totally new. It will provide more than just world-class facilities for our national team and more than a university from which hundreds of coaches will graduate. "It will provide employment and a social hub for local people and will foster community spirit and purpose and hope throughout England." England's players are using the facility for the first time this week as they prepare for their World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Poland. Aimed at raising standards of play at all levels, it will provide a centre of excellence for training coaches and for sports medicine, sports science and psychology. Among the facilities at St George's Park are: - A senior training pitch, laid out to the exact dimensions of the playing surface at Wembley Stadium and with exactly the same mix of grass and artificial fibres. Inside St George's Park Phil McNultyChief football writer, BBC Sport "Everything at Burton is aimed at the future and rivalling the national centres that have been at the heart of the well-being of the game in superpowers such as France, Spain and the Netherlands" Read Phil's feature - 11 outdoor pitches, five of which are floodlit and have under-soil heating. - A full-size indoor 3G artificial pitch with a viewing gallery for up to 200 people. - An altitude chamber to mimic a variety of playing conditions. - An indoor 60m sprint track with equipment to measure speed and running style. - Walls adorned with sporting slogans, such as American Olympian Jesse Owens: "A lifetime of training for just 10 seconds." - A new Hilton hotel featuring suites named after former England players and managers. Bernstein described the facility as "inspirational" and said it made him feel optimistic about the future of the nation's football. He said: "This is the pinnacle clearly - and we hope that this will be an inspiration in a number of ways. "One of the main objects of this, possibly almost the main object, is to produce thousands of more highly-qualified coaches. Play media A look inside St George's Park "There's a lot more happening in English football at the moment in terms of youth development. We're trying to move young players away from this physical side, of wanting to win too much when they're too young. "We want more skill-based football, kids to enjoy their football more. There's a great deal aimed at that." England's senior men's team have not won a major international tournament since the 1966 World Cup and have failed to reach a semi-final since the 1996 European Championship. The women's side have made three World Cup quarter-finals and twice finished runners-up in the European Championship. David Sheepshanks, chairman of St George's Park, said the new complex can help England close the gap on recent World Cup winners such as France and Spain. "This is a place to inspire young people and young coaches to invest in themselves and go beyond just getting the badge," he said. "The teachers of the game have the defining influence. We are investing in the teachers so that we can get ahead of what they are doing in France and Spain. "This is a deliberately long-term view. Really it is the investment in coaches that is crucial and from 2020 onwards we will have winning England teams." From the Beeb Edited October 9, 2012 by bickster Yes we know the formatting has come out all funny. We will fix it but need Limpid to see it first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisVillan Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 I did a four-part wibble on SGP, which is - hopefully - a massive plus for English football. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 I was lucky enough to have a guided tour last month, very very impressive. They even have a pitch that is identical to the one at wembley. Nice cows too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villarule123 Posted October 9, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted October 9, 2012 They even have a pitch that is identical to the one at wembley. Shite turf then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyp102 Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Its about time, this was meant to have been done yrs ago. But hey it's here now and hopefully will be beneficial. As someone said, it'll need to be a long term project and not expect fast results. Ten yrs is the minimum really. It's not just about coaching the players, but also establishing a proper coaching structure throughout the UK. I think one thing missing is a head often coaching. Glen Hoddle may have been perfect for this role, he was widely respected as a revolutionary coach prior and during his England tenure, unfortunately things went astray with certain things. However, the coaching school he has abroad at the moment I meant to be good, and his experience would have benefited the fa. I agree with the thoughts about hides on over redknapp, in an ideal world the perfect person to develop English football over the next ten yrs would be mr wenger, but obviously that wasn't going to happen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Shite turf then? Haha don't know, they wouldn't let us on it:( Got to have a go and recreating Beckham's free kick against Greece though, sadly I skied it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 Haha don't know, they wouldn't let us on it:( Got to have a go and recreating Beckham's free kick against Greece though, sadly I skied it! The pitch is identical in every aspect, the measurements and slope and height were done by laser guided equipment. It has synthetic bits woven into it, it was amazing that when seeded it was up in about three weeks The indoor pitch is set up for prozone measurements as well Some of the medical equipment is the best in europe by the way. Sincere apologies to mods for the first post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 cant really see what difference its going to make, world class facility's don't make world class players, its the coaching that needs changing at academy`s at clubs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisVillan Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 SGP's primary purpose is to improve coaching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted October 10, 2012 Administrator Share Posted October 10, 2012 SGP's primary purpose is to improve coaching. It's a pity that it's refereeing which is the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 SGP's primary purpose is to improve coaching. at elite level. its already been proven that england have, if memory serves a fifth of the amount of registered coaches than germany/spain ect. id have prefered £110million going into getting more qualified coaches and regional development centers rather than a giant complex in middle of the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisVillan Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 at elite level. its already been proven that england have, if memory serves a fifth of the amount of registered coaches than germany/spain ect. id have prefered £110million going into getting more qualified coaches and regional development centers rather than a giant complex in middle of the country. Quite. SGP is about coaching the coaches that coach the coaches. Big assumption involved in that, mind you, but I'd rather this than a players' centre of excellence. In my opinion SGP is a must. The FA could invest in coaching without it, but I don't think it would work. Having a coaching centre of excellence that is also an industry leading training home for 24 England teams can only be a plus, imo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 still amazed its not in london it'll be interesting to see if the press hound it like they do everything else, im waiting for the 1st story that claims its not working or taking too long or labelling a coach / manager / player as the 1st graduate before over hyping them to the point of ruin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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