ENGLAND’S new era under Thomas Tuchel will come alongside a major revamp at the St George’s Park training centre.
The FA have announced plans for the training facilities to undergo a “radical refurbishment” over the next three years.
The project, dubbed ‘SGP 2.0’, will completely reimagine the Staffordshire training ground which is home to the men’s, women’s and para teams.
St George’s Park only opened in 2012, but is already being overhauled thanks to the need for high quality facilities across all teams.
The project is set to get underway early this year with the aim of being completed in time for the Euros in 2028.
The FA are hoping that the new look will give England the edge when they use St George’s Park as their basecamp for the 2028 tournament being held across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
The changes will include three key areas of improvement according to a statement released by the FA.
Firstly is “competitive advantage”, which will see all pitch surfaces upgraded, pitch-side hub buildings added with new screens and improvements to the performance and recovery facilities.
Secondly is “player and coach expectations”, a project that aims to modernise the hotel bedrooms in the 228-room on-site Hilton hotel.
As well as adding permanent downtime activities, upgraded spaces around the building and “new features to maximise SGP’s accessibility for elite talent”.
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
The final area for improvement is “football innovation”.
That project will aim to add “inspirational” new meeting rooms and bespoke areas and technology for performance innovation by the coaching staff at the FA.
The ambitious plans come alongside the incredible facilities already in place at St George’s Park.
The home of England, which cost £105m to build in 2012, already has 13 outdoor pitches, a replica of the Wembley surface, a full size indoor 3G pitch, a huge gym, swimming pools and a futsal arena.
That is alongside a state of the art 30m outdoor training and fitness hill positioned at a 20 degree angle for fitness and conditioning.
Goalkeepers also have access to the Peter Shilton Goalkeeping area, a dedicated practice and training area for shot-stoppers.
John McDermott, the FA men’s technical director, said: “With the honour of hosting a home Euros on the horizon alongside other exciting pathway activities, SGP 2.0 will level up our capacity to deliver an elite experience for players and to give ourselves every possible chance for success.
“Development of the site over the next three years helps us to build towards performing at our best in every aspect.
“For our players to train, perform and recover in a second-to-none environment and for us to build a legacy of coaching excellence supported by the very latest in technology and innovation.”
The plans are not thought to be likely to hinder the preparation for any of England’s teams during the refurbishment.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The FA confirmed that St Georges’s Park will still host the squads for the build up to this summer’s Women’s Euros and qualification for the 2026 Fifa World Cup – when Tuchel’s contract is due to expire.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
