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.
Ruben Amorim reacts as Manchester United are booed off after Malaysia friendly
Danny Jones
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has delivered a fairly brutal response after his club were booed off by supporters during a friendly in Malaysia.
The Red Devils recently embarked on a post-season tour following a calamitous 2024/25 campaign, both domestically and continentally, with that limp loss in the Europa League final, but have already resumed what has become alarmingly normal service with yet another defeat.
Finding themselves on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline against ASEAN All-Stars in Kuala Lumpur – a squad comprised of various talents from around the region who had never played together before and were only founded as an actual team back in 2014 – it was all far from clean slates and fresh starts.
In the wake of the shock result, Man United were booed off by the Malaysian and other international fans inside the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, which saw more than 70,000 in attendance.
It’s the end and that’s it. Man United got boo’ed by the fans after the final whistle.
They got beaten by non-full team Asean All-Star who just trained together as a group few days before the match. pic.twitter.com/fBxnMiZPN8
For context, the ASEAN All-Stars had only trained together for the first time just days before the game itself, but the de facto exhibition outfit still managed to break the deadlock in the 71st minute against a United side that rarely looked like scoring.
All that being said, Amorim had some choice words for his own players in his post-match duties after their first post-season tour fixture, insisting that while he always remains accountable, those out on the pitch perhaps received somewhat of a deserved reckoning too.
He began by stating, “I’m always guilty of the performance of the team, no matter what. [I have been responsible] since the first day”, but went on to argue: “The boos from the fans, I think it something that we need, maybe.”
Citing that the Old Trafford faithful and die-hard away fans have always been loyal and supportive despite frustration in the league, he suggested that “maybe they will change the way they behave” following this latest reality check.
Despite adding that he has seen reasons for optimism in performances against Man City and Liverpool, for instance, where he felt he saw “belief” and seeds of what’s to come, he’s made very few excuses for the poor displays up to now.
United face the Hong Kong national team in their next friendly on Friday, 29 May, and it’s fair to say anything less than a win would be beyond bad for the predictably unpredictable Premier League club.
You can see his full post-match press conference down below.
Featured Images — Manchester United (screenshot via YouTube)/Edward Kuruvilla (via X)
Sport
Stockport County to introduce safe standing at Edgeley Park
Danny Jones
Stockport County will soon be introducing safe standing at Edgeley Park as part of the pending stadium development plans.
The Hatters may have just missed out on promotion to the Championship, but it’s still been an exciting few years for the club that has seen a fresh surge in young new supporters in addition to their passionate lifelong followers.
In more fantastic news for fans, County have announced that brand new safe standing sections will be installed across the ground.
Confirming the news on Wednesday, the club said: “After receiving all necessary approvals and working closely with safety authorities, we are set to install rail seating in two designated areas of the stadium.
Stockport County is thrilled to announce the introduction of safe standing areas at Edgeley Park ahead of the upcoming 2025/26 season.
Visit the club site for more details on this exciting new development ⤵️#StockportCounty
— Stockport County (@StockportCounty) May 28, 2025
As detailed on the club website, there will be two new dedicated safe-standing/rail-seated zones – one in each main stand: the back five rows of seats in the Cheadle End’s upper tier and the back two rows of the Vitality Railway End.
With Stockport Council greenlighting plans for League One side to expand their home capacity, this reconfiguration is set to accommodate a total of 849 County fans and/or supporters.
Although this all depends on final approval from the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), the aim is to deliver a “vibrant and dynamic environment for both home and away fans at Edgeley Park.”
The official statement goes on to explain that the push for safe standing is not just to provide more matchday options for those in attendance, but in hopes of further “enhancing the atmosphere and improving the overall matchday experience for those who prefer to stand.”
Couty has insisted that “The rail-seating system incorporates a barrier for every seat, ensuring that supporters are protected from a sudden surge or crowd movement.”
Safe standing is part of the larger Stockport County stadium redevelopment plans.
Addressing early concerns in a ‘What This Means for You’ section, they go on to add: “Season ticket holders currently in the affected rows will be contacted directly by the Club over the coming weeks with details on their options, including relocating to a seated area if they prefer not to stand.
“Information regarding new season tickets and matchday tickets in the safe standing areas will be released in due course.
“We believe this is another significant step forward for Stockport County and will further enhance the already incredible atmosphere at Edgeley Park. We look forward to seeing and hearing the renewed energy in these new sections.”
The safe standing plan is set to be introduced for the upcoming 2025/26 season, with the administration hoping to make this their last in the third tier. Do you see them going up next year?
Danny Jones -
12th January 2024 
