VIDEO: NFC to provide a lasting legacy

Speaking at the start of the public consultation process into plans for the National Football Centre, David Sheepshanks said England were the only major footballing country in Europe not to have such a centre.

Having unveiled plans for the centre, which include the site being named St George's Park, Sheepshanks said it was an important step for English football to have a central hub for coaching and education.

Sheepshanks, NFC Board Chairman, told a media conference in Burton: "We feel it is time the NFC had a new identity and we hope this name St George's Park will reflect the sense of national pride that will accompany the centre when it is open.

"Every single leading European country has a national football centre - even Bulgaria - and we are the only leading European country that does not.

"Every country that has won the World Cup has one apart from us. We don't have a Clairefontaine, we don't have a Coverciano, we don't have a Zeist [Holland's NFC].

"Jose Mourinho said he was staggered we did not have a national football centre and Arsene Wenger has said he could not imagine that the country does not have one.''

Sheepshanks was clear that despite there being many other examples throughout Europe, St George's Park, which is being sponsored by Umbro, would be a unique facility that would also provide a base for all the England teams.

"We are not here to replicate any one of the other centres, we have been to look at them and share best practices to pick up the best ideas to serve our needs," Sheepshanks explained.

"This is not a finishing school for young players, that role is carried out very well by the Premier League and Football League clubs, this has a different slant. This is not an academy and is not in competition with our professional clubs."

Sheepshanks is confident that St George's Park has the right geographical location, and also a sound financial footing, to provide long-term success for English football.

He said: "This has got to be England-centric and Burton is easy to get to from anywhere in the country and very accessible from a number of airports.

"This cannot be a white elephant, it must be sustainable financially and there is a robust business plan that makes this viable and sustainable.

"This is will mean England success for the long term, it will be world class but that doesn't mean extravagance. And in terms of cost there has never been a better time to enter a construction tender process."

The architects of the centre are redboxdesign who designed the Academy of Light in Sunderland.