Brian Barwick believes West Bromwich Albion's new £1.7million indoor facility - the T-Mobile Football Centre - will help the club live up to its 'illustrious past'.

The FA chief executive officially opened the impressive arena, situated on the Tom Silk Site, opposite The Hawthorns, on Tuesday.

He was joined at the event by chairman Jeremy Peace, manager Tony Mowbray, skipper Curtis Davies, keeper Dean Kiely, defender Neil Clement, midfielder Zoltan Gera and Match-of-the-Day 2 presenter and Baggies fan Adrian Chiles.

The T-Mobile Football Centre, built by Rubb Buildings and designed by LE1, measures 105 x 70metres and far exceeds the minimum requirements the club had to meet to achieve FA Premier Academy status.

It housesone of the biggest indoor pitches in the country, featuring third generation Fieldturf.

The FA Chief Executive Barwick opened the arena before saying: "A fantastic weatherproof facility like this is perfect for young people who want to become part of the game.

"West Bromwich Albion is a football club with a great tradition. This facility promises the club a future to match its illustrious past. It's a place where local people can enjoy the game - as we all have."

West Brom Chairman Jeremy Peace said: "The official opening of the indoor facility marks a further step in the regeneration of the area to the west of The Hawthorns, where nearly £30m has been spent in the past few years.

"We believe that with the cooperation of the Sandwell Academy School, West Bromwich Dartmouth Cricket Club and Sandwell Park Golf Club, we can create a 'Sports City' sitting between Birmingham and the Black Country which will greatly enhance the attractiveness of the area, offering a variety of leisure activities to our local community."

The T-Mobile Football Centre is regularly used by Academy players from as young as eight years old right through to the first team, youngsters from the neighbouring Sandwell Academy School and the local community.

It has already proved a huge benefit to the first-team squad and Academy Under-18s team as they are able to work on tactical and set-plays on a full-size pitch when bad weather is an issue.