By Peter Glynn
Adrian Bevington claims St. George's Park will help make representing England a more enjoyable experience for players.
The new £100m national football centre, built on a picturesque 330-acre site in Burton Upon Trent, will officially open on Tuesday.
And Club England Managing Director Bevington admits he cannot wait to see all of the country's 24 representative teams using the facility.
He said: “St. George's Park is where the induction starts, this is the entry point for any player playing for England at any age-group.
“We’ve got to make sure they’re inducted in a similar fashion all the way through the age-groups and feel a sense of belonging.
"We want to create a really good spirit about what we’re trying to provide for England and make playing for England an enjoyable experience.”
The U17 squad were the first Three Lions team to use St. George's Park back in August with England Manager Roy Hodgson in attendance.
And having senior figures involved in a young England player’s induction is central to Bevington’s vision for Club England.
He added: “Roy took the time to go in on match-day and gave the players a five or ten minute induction which hopefully excited them a little bit about being an England player.
"This is something that we want to do as part of the induction programme. Every player will be inducted into playing for England with a senior figure who has been there and done it.”
The impressive facilities at St. George's Park have more than fulfilled Bevington’s aim to provide the country’s most talented young players with the very best training environment.
With 12 pitches onsite, including a full-size indoor 3G surface and an identical replica of the Wembley pitch, the new centre has been lauded by many significant figures in the game.
And Bevington added: “If you can’t be lifted when you walk into this facility, if this can’t make you want to bust a gut and run that extra yard for whatever team you’re playing for and make you want to be here, I don’t know what does.
"The whole country should be proud and we need to sell to the rest of the world just how great a place this is."
Bevington is now tasked with the important role of getting the right processes and people in place to utilise the facilities.
And the recent appointment of West Brom’s Dan Ashworth as The FA's Head of Elite Development is the first step in kicking-off plans to revolutionise English football.
Bevington said: “We’ve got the building, we’ve got the shell, we now need to put the machine in and make sure the machine is correct.
“We need to ensure everything we do is aimed at maximising high performance across all areas.”
England's entry point
- Sunday,
Club England MD says players will revel in St. George's Park experience