St George’s Park to undergo radical refurbishment as FA sets clear goal for England | OneFootball

St George’s Park, the FA’s home to England men’s, women’s and para teams, is due to undergo radical refurbishment. Over the next three years, significant investment will be injected to continue the growth of the international hub. The aim is to ensure the world-class facility continues to evolve.

The ambitious project has been labelled ‘SGP 2.0’ and has highlighted three ket areas to focus on for improvement.

St George’s Park 2.0

SGP 2.0 will create a reimagined performance home to enable England’s players, teams and coaches to be the best in the world.

The venue, based in Staffordshire, is utilised by both club and national teams. Since opening in 2012, it has played a vital role in helping produce winning England teams whilst becoming a central hub for coach education.

Three key areas for improvement

Competitive advantage: All England team pitch surfaces will be upgraded to improve wet weather playability. Pitchside hub buildings, screens, and landscaping will be implemented to maximise training effectiveness during international camps. Performance and recovery facilities will also be upgraded.

Player and coach expectations: Modernisation of hotel bedrooms and communal spaces to better fit team’s needs. Plus installation of permanent downtime activities. Inclusive design of all new and upgraded spaces, plus adding new features to maximise SGP’s accessibility for elite talent.

Football Innovation: Inspirational learning and meeting rooms that encourage creativity in everyone’s daily work. Together with bespoke areas and technology for performance innovation by our coaches, staff and external partners.

Embed from Getty Images

Kay Cossington, The FA’s women’s technical director, said: “SGP 2.0 offers us the opportunity to consider the needs of our elite women’s teams and female coaches, and to design spaces that work for different groups. Inclusion is at the heart of SGP 2.0, with a new learning and innovation centre and exceptional downtime facilities also slated for the development.”

Catherine Gilby, The FA’s head of para performance, said: “SGP 2.0 represents a groundbreaking, exciting and ambitious leap forward. Not just for English football, but for the global disability sports landscape. It is a statement of our commitment to not only leading the way in ‘football for all’ but also ensuring that our elite para-teams have the best possible platform to succeed on the world stage. With these enhanced resources, we will be primed to challenge for international titles and inspire a new generation of players, while setting a global standard for the integration of Para football into the heart of football.”

Related articles from Her Football Hub: