Today we made the three hour bus trek to the Staffordshire countryside, just north of Birmingham, to visit St. George’s Park: the home training ground to all 27 of England’s National teams.
The park was built in 2012 with the aim of boosting the performance of English football on the international level. Despite being home to the English Premier League and considering itself a “footballing nation,” England has only produced one World Cup title between its senior male and female teams, with that lone title coming from the men’s team in 1966. The complex is world-renowned for its high quality facilities and for the great team building environment it provides.
The first stop on our tour was the locker room, which included a vast open space, large lockers, automatic showers and a flat screen television which the players utilize to review their practice and match film. Our guide explained to us the emphasis of making everything as convenient as possible for the players while they train at the park.
Next on our tour was the rehabilitation and sports science suite, which contained an underwater treadmill, a rehabilitation pool, and a hot/cold tub. Something that is crucial to the English National team’s success is that their players are actively taking care of their bodies in order to stay healthy and maximize their training results. Having this state of the art facility is certainly an advantage.
England’s Locker Room (Bob in foreground) 
England’s Locker Room 
Underwater treadmill, which can be raised and lowered according to player height
We were soon after lead to the indoor futsal court. Futsal is a variation of soccer that is played on a small, hard surface pitch with less players and a heavier ball. Futsal is a game which requires decisions to be made instantly, at a pace even faster than the game of soccer itself. This fast pace variation of the game is extremely helpful to the development of England’s players.
England’s Futsal Court 
England’s Futsal Court
After our introduction to futsal, we were led to the park’s official indoor and outdoor pitches, where the professional level teams train and play matches. The indoor pitch, however, is rarely used due to the advanced heating technology under the pitch that allows field temperatures to be regulated and rapid draining to occur. The technology is so superb that using information from weather forecasts, the staff can emulate gameday conditions. In addition to this, the field itself is modeled after Wembley Stadium and the grass is cut strategically depending on the opponent. We learned that tall grass limits the speed at which the ball can travel from player to player, and therefore it is desirable to play a match against a faster team with high grass rather than trimmed grass.
The final destination on our tour was a practice pitch. Here, we were introduced to some basic drills to develop our skills. Soon after, the ball was rolled out and we played a full scrimmage against each other. Everyone seemed to enjoy the competition and the opportunity to get some exercise surrounded by the greenery, which is something we have missed in urban London.
It was a tremendous experience to tour St. George’s Park. While we toured the state of the art facility, we learned about the core values which the English team prides itself on. These values include discipline, respect and preparation: all of which are values that extend beyond the realm of sport.