Manchester City have submitted a planning application for a new £10m, purpose-built training facility for their women’s team. City’s women’s team shares space with the men’s team and academy sides at the £200m City Football Academy.
The new building will be based at the training complex and, subject to approval, will open in 2025. It will include a hydrotherapy area, a high-performance gym and an analytics space and will mirror the environment around the men’s team. It has also been designed to allow for expansion beyond the 17,000 square-foot plans as the team grows.
City join a number of clubs looking to upgrade the infrastructure around their women’s team, with Brighton having been granted permission by Brighton and Hove council to find a site for a purpose-built stadium in the city, Arsenal recently completed upgrade work on the building that houses their women’s team at London Colney, Leicester moved their women’s team into the Belvoir Drive training ground vacated by the men’s side and Liverpool bought back Melwood for their women’s side.
The managing director of the women’s team, Charlotte O’Neill, said: “Over the past decade, our shared space at City Football Academy has been a huge asset to the team, providing unrivalled access to world-leading facilities and industry experts that have helped the team to adopt the club’s philosophies on and off the pitch and establish itself as a pioneer in the development of women’s football in this country.
“However, as the team evolves, so do their needs and that’s why we continue to invest in the right facilities at the right stage in the team’s journey.”
Steph Houghton, who joined City from Arsenal when the women’s team was relaunched in 2014 said: “As we look to take the next step in our journey of developing the women’s game, it’s right that we now develop our own purpose-built home, at the heart of City Football Academy.”
