St George's Park

St George’s Park stands on 330 acres of parkland just outside Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire. The English FA’s national football centre opened in 2012 after years of planning and building. Its purpose is to host all England teams at once, from senior squads down to under-17 sides. The site also trains disability, futsal and representative teams for UEFA and FIFA events. Coaching staff use the centre to develop future England stars in every age group. The park occupies land once part of Needwood Forest, developed by the Berkeley family in the 13th century. A country house stood here in the 19th century before the Bass family ran a stud farm. After the house was demolished in the 1950s the estate was sold and later bought by the FA in 2001. The project was led by technical director Howard Wilkinson, who modelled it on Clairefontaine in France. Construction began after delays and cost revisions, finally finishing in 2012. Inside the park are twelve world-class pitches, both grass and artificial, plus a full-sized indoor pitch. There are hydrotherapy suites, biomechanics labs, video analysis rooms and medical facilities. The centre also provides accommodation for 300 people alongside offices for FA technical experts. National rugby union, rugby league and football teams have all trained here. Clubs such as FC Barcelona and Galatasaray have used the facilities for pre-season camps. The grounds host youth tournaments and international qualifying matches.