Nothing really concreate in this research just a link on a website but nice to see us in their top ten, never been to Finch myself is worthy of such comparitable praise?:
Earlier this month Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy revealed the club’s plans to build a new £30m state-of-the-art training ground in Enfield by 2012. Levy believes the 67-acre development will be the best in Europe and will help develop England’s next generation of superstars. Here, Sport.co.uk runs through the top ten training grounds leading the way in European football.
10. Everton, Finch Farm
David Moyes and his side moved into the academy, which boasts ten full-size pitches, in October 2007. Costing £9.5m to build, it ranks as one of the most expensive training compounds to be built in England. Nicknamed the ‘School of Science’, the top of the range development gives the Toffees an advantage over their Premier League rivals in their pursuit of top transfer targets.
9. Manchester United, Carrington
Dubbed ‘Fortress Carrington’ due to the 1.5 miles of fencing and the 30,000 trees that surrounds the complex, the Trafford Training Centre is home to both the academy and the first-team. Inside you’ll find basketball courts, hydrotherapy pools and saunas to wind down after a hard days training and two hours of Sir Alex Ferguson shouting in your ear.
8. Dynamo Kiev, Koncha Zaspa
The Dynamo Training Centre won the State Architecture Award upon opening in 1998. The first-class sports facility combines as a hotel, dedicating two whole floors to the residence of the club’s players. The club’s on-site medical centre also boasts a pressure chamber which can re-create extreme conditions to help speed up player recovery.
7. Real Madrid, Ciudad
Madrid moved into their new training facilities in 2005. It covers an enormous 1.2m square meters; however the majority of it is yet to be developed. The initial building works cost an astronomical €70m, confirming that Los Blancos certainly don’t do things in half-measures. Further additions will include a basketball stadium and a ‘mini stadium’ for the team’s reserves at a later date.
6. Arsenal, Shenley
Arsene Wenger admitted he was shocked to find the club did not own their own training facilities when he arrived in North London in 1996. The Frenchman made a new training ground his number one priority and by 1999 had a new personally specified, unique complex, which even contains its own five star restaurant, in case his young starlets grow tired of their mum’s cooking.
5. Barcelona, Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper
The training ground, name after the club’s Swiss founder, cost €68m and was built in response to their La Liga rivals Madrid’s new training centre. The club’s first-team players moved into the sports facility in January 2009, ending a 30-year-association with a small training pitch connected to the Nou Camp, known as the La Masia, which is being re-developed for its youth team.
4. Sporting Lisbon, Academia de Alcochete
The Portuguese club’s training facilities are widely renowned as some of the best in the world and are often used by a host of top European clubs during their pre-season preparations. It is also the national team’s main training base. The academy has produced a host of household names over the years including Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, João Moutinho and Miguel Veloso.
3. Ajax, De Toekomst
One of the world’s most reputable and highly respected academies, having produced an array of talent across many generations, including Johan Cruyff, Edwin van der Sar, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, and Marco van Basten . Translated as ‘the future’, Ajax’s forward-thinking methods towards youth development have earned them universal praise from across Europe.
2. Chelsea, Cobham
The Blues moved to their multi-million pound training facility in Cobham in 2007. It features the latest in training, medical and rehabilitation technology and is the result of years of research and design work, to build one of the leading centres in world football.
1. French Centre of Excellence, Clairfontaine
Clairfontaine encompasses 56 hectares of land deep inside the heart of the Rambouillet forest. The most promising young players in France spend two years at the academy from the ages of 13 and 15 and are exposed to the best coaching and training facilities the country has to offer. Nicolas Anelka, William Gallas, Thierry Henry and Louis Saha are all famous graduates from the revered academy.
Top Ten: Training Grounds | Sport.co.uk
Earlier this month Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy revealed the club’s plans to build a new £30m state-of-the-art training ground in Enfield by 2012. Levy believes the 67-acre development will be the best in Europe and will help develop England’s next generation of superstars. Here, Sport.co.uk runs through the top ten training grounds leading the way in European football.
10. Everton, Finch Farm
David Moyes and his side moved into the academy, which boasts ten full-size pitches, in October 2007. Costing £9.5m to build, it ranks as one of the most expensive training compounds to be built in England. Nicknamed the ‘School of Science’, the top of the range development gives the Toffees an advantage over their Premier League rivals in their pursuit of top transfer targets.
9. Manchester United, Carrington
Dubbed ‘Fortress Carrington’ due to the 1.5 miles of fencing and the 30,000 trees that surrounds the complex, the Trafford Training Centre is home to both the academy and the first-team. Inside you’ll find basketball courts, hydrotherapy pools and saunas to wind down after a hard days training and two hours of Sir Alex Ferguson shouting in your ear.
8. Dynamo Kiev, Koncha Zaspa
The Dynamo Training Centre won the State Architecture Award upon opening in 1998. The first-class sports facility combines as a hotel, dedicating two whole floors to the residence of the club’s players. The club’s on-site medical centre also boasts a pressure chamber which can re-create extreme conditions to help speed up player recovery.
7. Real Madrid, Ciudad
Madrid moved into their new training facilities in 2005. It covers an enormous 1.2m square meters; however the majority of it is yet to be developed. The initial building works cost an astronomical €70m, confirming that Los Blancos certainly don’t do things in half-measures. Further additions will include a basketball stadium and a ‘mini stadium’ for the team’s reserves at a later date.
6. Arsenal, Shenley
Arsene Wenger admitted he was shocked to find the club did not own their own training facilities when he arrived in North London in 1996. The Frenchman made a new training ground his number one priority and by 1999 had a new personally specified, unique complex, which even contains its own five star restaurant, in case his young starlets grow tired of their mum’s cooking.
5. Barcelona, Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper
The training ground, name after the club’s Swiss founder, cost €68m and was built in response to their La Liga rivals Madrid’s new training centre. The club’s first-team players moved into the sports facility in January 2009, ending a 30-year-association with a small training pitch connected to the Nou Camp, known as the La Masia, which is being re-developed for its youth team.
4. Sporting Lisbon, Academia de Alcochete
The Portuguese club’s training facilities are widely renowned as some of the best in the world and are often used by a host of top European clubs during their pre-season preparations. It is also the national team’s main training base. The academy has produced a host of household names over the years including Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, João Moutinho and Miguel Veloso.
3. Ajax, De Toekomst
One of the world’s most reputable and highly respected academies, having produced an array of talent across many generations, including Johan Cruyff, Edwin van der Sar, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, and Marco van Basten . Translated as ‘the future’, Ajax’s forward-thinking methods towards youth development have earned them universal praise from across Europe.
2. Chelsea, Cobham
The Blues moved to their multi-million pound training facility in Cobham in 2007. It features the latest in training, medical and rehabilitation technology and is the result of years of research and design work, to build one of the leading centres in world football.
1. French Centre of Excellence, Clairfontaine
Clairfontaine encompasses 56 hectares of land deep inside the heart of the Rambouillet forest. The most promising young players in France spend two years at the academy from the ages of 13 and 15 and are exposed to the best coaching and training facilities the country has to offer. Nicolas Anelka, William Gallas, Thierry Henry and Louis Saha are all famous graduates from the revered academy.
Top Ten: Training Grounds | Sport.co.uk
