Melbourne City moves into its first-class new home

Melbourne City has a new headquarters after the City Football Group unveiled its Australian training and administration facility – City Football Academy (CFA) Melbourne – at La Trobe University.

Melbourne City training

Melbourne City's training ground (Image courtesy Melbourne City) Source: Melbourne City

The facility will become the City Football Group’s centre for football operations in the Asia Pacific region.

CFA Melbourne features advanced new training pitches for the Melbourne City first team, two elite youth team pitches, dedicated community pitches, world-class medical and sports science facilities and expansive new office space.
Melbourne City
The club’s first team commenced training at the first class venue in advance of Friday night’s home match against Adelaide United.
City coach John van't Schip is thrilled by the new set-up and is confident it will result in improved performance on the pitch.

"If you've seen where we've been the first few years, then this is a big step forward," he said.

"If you talk about high standards, we were far off.

"Now everything's there for a professional football club.

"A world class pitch, great dressing rooms, medical care, fitness place."

Employees of Melbourne City moved in last week.
Melbourne City
"The establishment of the CFA Melbourne is great news for Melbourne City FC," Scott Munn, Melbourne City CEO, said.

"It allows us to bring all of our football, commercial and administrative staff together under one roof for the first time in a space designed and built to meet the needs of a professional football club."

To celebrate the formal commencement of operations at CFA Melbourne, members of the Australian football family, media, local government and City Football partners have been invited for an official tour of the facility on Friday.

"These facilities have been built to exactly the same standard as those in Manchester because we fundamentally believe in the provision of a world-class environment for the training and development of young players and coaches," Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of Melbourne City FC and the City Football Group, said.

"It’s something that we also believe can be a competitive advantage for all of our clubs.

"The CFA Melbourne has been designed to help evolve, transform and sustain the sporting, commercial and community capabilities of Melbourne City Football Club while also serving as a strong centre of operations for the City Football Group in the Asia Pacific Region."

Melbourne City's first team will now train on the only “DESSO GrassMaster” pitch in Australia – which is the same surface at Wembley and which the club believes is the most advanced football playing surface anywhere in the country.
Manchester City
City's international marquee Robert Koren, who played more than 200 games in the EPL for West Bromwich Albion and Hull City, said the facility was the next step in the club's evolution.

"It's something the club needs, it's a massive part of the club's future," he said.

"These facilities can compare with any in the UK."

The club’s youth teams will now have access to the improved training pitches and facilities the first team has vacated.

The facility shares elements of its design and functionality with the landmark City Football Academy in Manchester that opened in December 2014 and houses the headquarters of Manchester City.

"The CFA Melbourne is connected directly to our main facility at the CFA in Manchester, operationally, philosophically and aesthetically," Ferran Soriano, CEO of the City Football Group, said.

"It will enable Melbourne City FC to fulfill its significant potential both on and off the pitch while deepening its ties to other clubs in the City family."

For the first time, the club’s players will benefit from purpose-built medical facilities for treatment and rehabilitation, including a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy suite, and a custom-designed fitness centre tailored to their needs in preparation, recovery and rehabilitation.
Melbourne City hydrotherapy baths
The facility also includes dedicated community pitches for Melbourne City to run additional school-holiday programs and offers local football clubs and visiting community groups the opportunity to tour the facility and watch the A-League team train.

"The CFA Melbourne will give Melbourne City FC year-round access to an elite facility that matches the club’s ambitions and can support its long-term goals," Simon Pearce, vice chairman of Melbourne City FC and board director of the City Football Group, said.


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4 min read
Published 26 February 2015 5:50pm
Updated 27 February 2015 1:39pm
Source: SBS

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