Arsenal Training Centre

Arsenal Training Centre

A view of a pitch from the Watling Chase Timberland Trail public footpath.
Location London Colney
Hertfordshire
Coordinates 51°42′40″N 0°17′5″W / 51.71111°N 0.28472°WCoordinates: 51°42′40″N 0°17′5″W / 51.71111°N 0.28472°W
Owner Arsenal F.C.
Type Sports facility
Construction
Built 1998–1999
Opened 11 October 1999
Construction cost £10 million

The Arsenal Training Centre, often referred to as its geographical location London Colney in Hertfordshire, is the training ground of Arsenal Football Club. It houses ten full-size pitches, an indoor facility and a medical and rehabilitation centre.

Constructed after manager Arsène Wenger campaigned for Arsenal to replace its existing University College London groundshare site, it opened in October 1999 at a cost of £10 million. The training centre was financed by the transfer of Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid.

As well as accommodating Arsenal's first team and youth teams, the centre from 2003 to 2012 acted as the training base for the England national football team before home internationals and friendlies. It has attracted criticism from local residents over environmental and catchment issues.

History and development

When Arsène Wenger joined Arsenal in October 1996, he attempted to organise an extra training session at the club's University College London Union (UCLU) Shenley Sports grounds, for the benefit of getting to know his players.[1] Wenger was told that the ground – owned by UCL, was reserved for its students, which left him not knowing “whether to laugh or cry”.[1] A few weeks after, a fire partially burnt down the training centre, costing £50,000 in damages.[2] Arsenal temporarily rehoused their training base to Sopwell House Hotel in St Albans.[3] Wenger, dismayed by the arrangement, campaigned for a purpose-built, Arsenal-owned ground that housed the latest training equipment.[1] This was one of the "important decisions" he wanted to make for the club – "Without an assurance of that freedom and control I would not have stayed."[4]

By February 1998, Hertsmere Borough Council granted consent for Arsenal to build a training centre on the greenfield land, adjacent to a local school in the Bell Lane area, London Colney.[5] It is situated adjacent to the former facilities at Shenley Sports grounds, which Watford Football Club use for training purposes.[6] They concluded it was “…essential to support the training facility”, that it would replace an existing building used by the club and that Arsenal’s community work “constituted exceptional circumstances”.[5] The plans were referred to the Environment Secretary John Prescott, who ratified it, in spite of the area's position on the green belt.[5] Planning permission was obtained in September 1998.[7]

Richard Marshall and Dearle & Henderson designed the training ground and its facilities.[8] Wenger was "heavily involved" in the process – “even down to the kitchens” and shared ideas from his time as Nagoya Grampus manager, where the club itself was building its own training centre.[8][9] As part of a fact-finding mission, club representatives visited other training facilities from around Europe, such as Bayern Munich and Auxerre.[9] Arsenal's physiotherapist Gary Lewin and fitness coach Tony Colbert were involved in their respective areas.[10] The project, transforming a 140-acre site, was completed in 45 weeks at a cost of £10 million.[11] Arsenal financed this through the transfer of Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid for £22.5 million in August 1999.[12]

The Arsenal Training Centre was opened by Sports Minister Kate Hoey on 11 October 1999.[9] Chairman Peter Hill-Wood described it as “simply superb”, while Wenger felt it acted as a "big attraction" for players to come to Arsenal.[9] Unlike before, the training centre was open to the first team squad and youth teams for training simultaneously, which in Wenger’s words gave Arsenal a “stronger feeling of togetherness”.[9] The club have since expanded its training centre to include a press briefing building, as well as an indoor pitch facility.[10] During development work in August 2006, an artillery shell was found near the site which led to the surrounding area being evacuated.[13]

Facilities

The training centre covers an area of 143 acres (0.58 km2). In all, there are ten full-size pitches at the site.[10] Inside the complex there are training and rehabilitation areas, physiotherapy and massage rooms and remedial and hydrotherapy pools.[10] There are also squash/basketball courts, sauna, steam and weight rooms, a restaurant for staff and players, conference rooms, offices, classrooms and a TV studio to interview players and staff for Arsenal TV.[14]

All ten pitches have undersoil drainage and an automated sprinkler system. In addition, two have undersoil heating. Each pitch is built to match the playing surface specifications of the Emirates Stadium.[10] Three of the pitches are reserved for the Arsenal youth team, three for the reserves and three for the first team.[10] The tenth pitch is where first team friendlies and Under-18 league fixtures take place.[10]

A medical and rehabilitation centre was completed in October 2011, tailored to meet the needs of the Arsenal players.[15] The centre houses apparatus such as an anti-gravity treadmill and a range of screening equipment.[15] Players returning from injury are able to focus on their rehabilitation "in a separate, specialised space", with medical staff on hand.[15] Extra training pitches are also set to be laid.[16] In February 2015 Arsenal ordered 1,400 m2 of artificial grass from the Swiss company called Tisca Tiara for the training pitch.[17]

Criticism

The ground has attracted criticism from local residents. A parish council meeting in October 2001 revealed that Arsenal players had not been involved with local initiatives, despite claims during its planning phase that the ground would allow the club to develop links with the local community.[14] Shenley Primary School reportedly failed to receive any visits from players despite repeated requests.[14] The club responded by pointing to initiatives by its Ladies team to organise competitions at local grounds.[14] Plans to develop new buildings and road links to the site were challenged by residents four years later; they believed it would lead to increased traffic and noise pollution in the area.[18]

In March 2006, The Daily Telegraph noted Arsenal's failure to develop young English players following a UEFA Champions League tie against Juventus, in which they did not use a single English player.[19] According to desk research, youth team opportunities was a main reason the club obtained planning permission for the centre.[19] Arsenal cited in a statement: "The Bell Lane site is within the Arsenal 'catchment area' and the club already has a very active youth policy in the area. In particular, the club currently works closely with 12 local clubs which would be maintained and enhanced if the Bell Lane proposal were to go ahead."[19]

Other uses

The England national football team frequently trained at the ground when preparing for games in London; the agreement with Arsenal began in March 2003.[20] They have since 2012 relocated their training base to St George's Park National Football Centre.[21] Arsenal's training ground was used by the national team in November 2013, for the friendlies against Chile and Germany after St George's Park reported a stomach bug.[22]

For the UEFA Champions League finals that took place at Wembley Stadium in 2011 and 2013, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund respectively used the centre's facilities to train.[23][24] American Football side St. Louis Rams trained at London Colney in preparation for the 2012 NFL International Series in London.[25] Arsenal had previously "priced" themselves out of hosting the New York Giants or the Miami Dolphins.[26]

In November 2009, the ground held a tournament between teams of work colleagues from eight local organisations, which raised £1,500 for charity.[27]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Callow, Nick (13 March 1998). "Revolution shakes the Gunners". The Guardian (London). p. S8.
  2. ↑ "Wenger stands by his winners for Dons battle". Evening Standard (London). 1 November 1996. p. 66.
  3. ↑ Williams, Rhys (12 May 1998). "Arsenal's playing and coaching staff will no longer have to get changed in a St Albans hotel if Arsene Wenger's dream of a new, purpose-built training complex, planned for next summer, is finally realised". Evening Standard (London). p. 14.
  4. ↑ "Happy Wenger enjoying his role in control". The Independent (London). 30 September 1997. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Howarth, Anita (10 July 1998). "Arsenal FC scores Green Belt training centre". EGi News (London). (subscription required)
  6. ↑ "The UCL Sports Ground". Google Maps. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Arsenal Training Ground". AFCi (Arsenal Football Club). Archived from the original on 18 September 2000. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Taylor, David (21 October 1999). "Arsenal gets a complex". Architects' Journal (Emap). p. 20.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 "Arsenal venture into the future". Evening Standard (London). 11 October 1999. p. 85.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 "Training Centre". Arsenal.com (Arsenal Football Club). Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  11. ↑ Pierce, Bill (12 October 1999). "Wenger 'shock' as Vieira faces a 5-game ban". Western Daily Press (Bristol). p. 38.
  12. ↑ Tanner, Richard (12 August 2002). "Keegan's biggest gamble". Daily Express (London). p. 45.
  13. ↑ "Shell found near training ground". BBC News (BBC). 20 August 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Norton, Tommy (19 May 2006). "The village home of the European finalists". thisislocallondon.co.uk (Newsquest). Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "Medical Centre opens at training ground". Arsenal.com (Arsenal Football Club). 17 October 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  16. ↑ Wilson, Jeremy (7 October 2010). "Arsene Wenger set for transfer budget boost from property sales". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  17. ↑ "Arsenal football club buys Swiss fake grass". SwissInfo.ch. 7 February 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  18. ↑ Samuel, Katie (27 January 2005). "Arsenal v Shenley". Watford Observer. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Bose, Mihir (30 March 2006). "Arsenal played England card to get their training ground". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  20. ↑ Hart, Michael (25 March 2003). "It won't be easy, warns Eriksson". Evening Standard (London). p. 71.
  21. ↑ "Gerrard, Lampard miss England's first Burton session". AFP (Google News). 9 October 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  22. ↑ "England switch bases after St George's Park stomach bug scare". BBC Sport (BBC). 11 November 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  23. ↑ "Champions League final: Manchester United and Barcelona travel to London – in pictures". The Daily Telegraph (London). 27 May 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  24. ↑ Woods, David (29 May 2013). "Lukasz Piszczek's injury blow for Arsene Wenger". Daily Star (London). Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  25. ↑ "St Louis Rams train at Colney – pictures". Arsenal.com (Arsenal Football Club). 24 October 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  26. ↑ Sale, Charles (3 October 2008). "Chelsea lose out to NFL hosts Arsenal". Daily Mail (London). Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  27. ↑ Cosgrove, Sarah (27 November 2009). "Work football teams raise £1,500 for charity". Times-Series (Newsquest). Retrieved 22 November 2013.