Former Town chairman David Sheepshanks says the FA’s new National Football Centre at St George's Park will help England to get ahead of the likes of France and Spain. Sheepshanks, who is the chairman at St George’s Park, was speaking as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge opened the £105 million, 330-acre facility in Staffordshire which will be home to 24 senior and junior England teams.

Sheepshanks said: "This is a place to inspire young people and young coaches to invest in themselves and go beyond just getting the badge.

"The teachers of the game have the defining influence. We are investing in the teachers so that we can get ahead of what they are doing in France and Spain.

"This is a deliberately long-term view. Really it is the investment in coaches that is crucial and from 2020 onwards we will have winning England teams."

St George’s Park has 11 outdoor pitches, five floodlit with undersoil heating, a full-size indoor 3G artificial surface, an altitude chamber, an indoor 60m sprint track and a Hilton hotel with suites named after ex-England managers and players.

In addition to Sheepshanks’s role in the project, there is a further Town connection with Alan Ferguson the head groundsman. Current Blues chief executive Simon Clegg attended today’s opening.

Photo: Action Images

shefkuqi32 added 13:32 - Oct 9 Seeing him on skysports this morning reminded me of the good old days of Town. Those were the days.
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SonOfSpock added 13:35 - Oct 9 The National Centre is all well and good, but ultimately the success of the England side hinges on the Premier league, and clubs placing England as the pinnacle. The main example I can think that this is the case is with the England Cricket team. The whole of Domestic cricket is now geared towards making the international team competitive. Sadly, recent history suggests, in my opinion, that club managers are not happy to allow their players out on international duty due to the risk of injury and/or fatigue, and how many times have we seen players coming down with a 'niggle' before International games meaning the player pulls out. I hope to be proved wrong and that the new centre is a success but I wont hold my breath.

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arc added 13:42 - Oct 9 I've said it before on here, but I'll say it again: when the FA is supposedly taking a great interest in getting minority kids to play football, calling the National Centre of Excellence "St George's Park" is just imbecilic.
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tractorboybig added 13:46 - Oct 9 The man who killed itfc can now complete the task with england.
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MattinLondon added 14:08 - Oct 9 tractorboybig He never killed off ITFC...he trusted Burley with money and the players Burley brought were awful. arc St George is the patron saint of England and so is the perfect choice of name for an English centre of excellence. Minorities won't be put off by the name (and I'm one of the 'minorities'). What are they supposed to call it? The inclusive centre for football?

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bournemouthblue added 14:15 - Oct 9 Cricket is different in the fact that international level is the pinnacle, it's almost like the Premier league. It also means that if you're playing international cricket, you're probably not going to be playing much for your county. The situation is totally different in football where international football just seems like a nuisance.
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hairbear added 14:16 - Oct 9 Surely this centre of excellence has to be a good thing. The main thinking behind it is to train coaches rather than just concentrate on developing the elite young players. If the coaches at your local non-league club have been through St Georges Park it will benefit the national team in the long term.
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hairbear added 14:29 - Oct 9 Mattinlondon, agree with you about sheepshanks, he took alot of flack over 1 summer of extreme misspending. Both him and Burley gambled on staying up that season, with putting up the new stands aswell and it back fired big time. I for 1 though would take both of them back in a heart beat. JEWELL OUT!!!
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Arthur added 18:56 - Oct 9 Missing you Sheepy!!!
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ip5w1ch added 20:11 - Oct 9 That ruddy faced tool was not the messiah he was a very naughty boy. His mismanagement and cavalier attitude with money was the downfall of our club. Some people have a rose tinted view of the past and need to live in the real world.
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Talbs77 added 20:15 - Oct 9 David Sheepshanks is a good honest man who has football always at the centre of whatever he is trying to acheive in the game. On the whole he did an absolutely outstanding job t ITFC. He came in, immediately stated a 5 year plan. Stuck by Burley when a lot of Chairmen would have got rid after season upon season of playoff heartbreak and did it all on a shoestring. Unfortunately 1 pre season and the stadium re development plan, killed the club stone dead and to a certain extent, we are still paying the price a decade on. But I would hate that to be his lasting legacy at ITFC. He's a blue who loves the club, and I wish him all the best with his work with the FA. Hes certainly better than the majority running the game and good luck to him.

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TractorRoyNo1 added 22:20 - Oct 9 come back david (nearly) all is forgiven
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LFCITFC added 16:23 - Oct 10 Having good facilities does not give you the right to have a succesful team. Unfortunately St Georges Park will only be available to a small minority of boys. I believe that they should be puting money into educating Coaches/boys how to play the game correctly from a grass roots level....Too many coaches from U8'S are too focused on winning, by getting the bigger kids to "bully" the smaller ones rather than improving the boys controlling, passing etc (trust me, this happens!!!) The amount of young boys that are already pulling shirts, pushing, diving from an early age is shocking. This should lead to more "elite" players therefore having a strong foundation. Unfortunately the majority top clubs owners want success now and would prefer to spend money on established foreign players rather than their youngsters. Rant over! COYB

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