The Manchester City Women’s team have officially submitted a planning application for a brand new purpose-built training ground to be built as part of the wider City Football Academy (CFA).
Set to join the other state-of-the-art training facilities over on the Etihad Campus and said to be valued at around £10 million, the creation of the standalone facility will house the women’s first team, who currently share a building with the academy teams at the club.
While Man City Women do currently have their own pitches, the plans look to bring further parity across male and female football at the club, as well as freeing up more space for the youth teams at the existing CFA in the process.
Should the planning application be approved, the new City Women’s training ground will open in 2025 and will feature a hydrotherapy area, a high-performance gym and an analytics space — all designed to enhance player development by mirroring the elite athletic environment of the men’s first team.
Manchester City Women have submitted a planning application to Manchester City Council for the development of a purpose-built training facility at our training centre, City Football Academy.
During the planning stages, the club have been working closely with first-team and multi-disciplinary experts to ensure the facility best meets the specific needs of the players. The 17,000-square-foot building has also been designed to be ultimately expanded over time as the team continues to grow.
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As a press release goes on to detail, “As well as benefitting from a private facility, the team will continue to be a central part of the eco-system at the £200m City Football Academy meaning they can take advantage of the resources and know-how across the organisation’s wider operations and facilities.”
Commenting on the plans, City Women’s Managing Director Charlotte O’Neill said: “Over the past decade, our shared space at CFA has been a huge asset to the team, providing unrivalled access to world-leading facilities and industry experts who’ve 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.
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“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.
“By building a new, state-of-the-art facility, we will provide our players with a bespoke industry-leading environment for them to train and recover together, and we believe this will further improve player welfare, and help attract even more talent to Man City and the next generation of aspiring women footballers.”
CGI renders of the newly proposed City Women’s training ground (Credit: MCWFC)
Club captain Steph Houghton also gave her thoughts on the exciting new development, adding: “I’ve been incredibly proud to call the CFA home for the past ten years and have seen first-hand how the integrated facilities we are a part of have contributed to the development of the women’s team…
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“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, and I’m thrilled the Club has the ambition and commitment to keep investing in our future.”
City has been at the forefront of investment in women’s football ever since the Women’s Super League started, having already opened the league’s first purpose-built training facility back in 2014 before the academy teams were moved into the same area.
Tickets go live as opening date is announced for Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience
Emily Sergeant
Tickets to visit Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience have officially gone live ahead of the grand opening.
Set to open in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s Etihad Campus next month, the Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across 10 distinctive spaces – with visitors invited to take a trip down memory lane with nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history.
Fans will also be able to take part in interactive media experiences, like posing with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams or trying their hand at football punditry.
The experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history to do this.
Hidden details and surprising ‘did you know’ facts are set to be embedded across the experience, so that even the most devoted Man City fans will have the chance to discover something new about the club they love.
By combining interactive environments, technology, and authentic artefacts, the experience is aiming to appeal to a wide audience – from lifelong Manchester City supporters, to families and those with a broader interest in football, culture, and the city of Manchester.
“The Museum Experience has been designed as a destination that goes beyond just the pitch,” commented Jeremy Maxton, who is the Director of Visitor Attractions at Manchester City Football Club.
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of its new ‘immersive’ museum / Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
“Whether you’re a lifelong supporter, visiting Manchester for a weekend, or simply looking for a unique day out, we’ve created an experience that offers something for everyone.
“From the recreated environments and original memorabilia to the interactive elements, there are different ways into the Club’s history throughout the Museum.
“We’ve also built in space for new stories to be added over time, so the experience can continue to evolve. It’s been a huge project to bring together and we’re looking forward to people seeing it for themselves later this year.”
The Manchester City Museum Experience officially opens on 14 December, and you can now book tickets to visit from that date here.
Featured Image – Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Danny Jones -
12th January 2024 
