As the curtain closes on a busy 2021/22 season at St. George’s Park, the time to reflect on the diverse activities and sporting events that have taken place at the national football centre is upon us.
St. George’s Park has successfully and proudly hosted a catalogue of teams and camps, from grassroots to the elite. From England Women’s and England Men’s Senior football teams, to a range of other sports including Spike Ball, Rugby Union, Dodgeball and Ultimate Frisbee. St. George’s Park also hosted an England and Wales Cricket Board training camp, where team meetings, gym sessions and science and medicine check-ins took place within the industry-leading facilities.
The season began with pre-season camps, with football teams across the UK and the continent using the Staffordshire base for their preparations. Crystal Palace, Brentford, Portsmouth, MK Dons and Wolverhampton Wanderers, along with Spanish side Real Betis, took up the opportunity of using the pristine playing pitches.
The grounds have also staged training camps for many of the England Para Football teams, including the England Men’s and Women’s Deaf, England Men’s Cerebral Palsy, England Men’s and Women’s Blind and England Partially Sighted team, all in preparation for various competitions.
In line with The FA’s Football Your Way plan, the launch of the England Women’s Blind team was a particular highlight for St. George’s Park to host ahead of their developmental squad travelling to Pescara, Italy for a series of international games.
Multiple grassroots tournaments also took place across the world-class playing surfaces at the Burton site, in addition to the sixth edition of The FA Disability Cup - the largest competition of its kind in this country, giving players within impairment-specific football a national competition of their own.
As the home of England Football, St. George’s Park is England Football Learning’s headquarters and has provided an inspiring setting for the delivery of a broad range of professional game courses. The UEFA Pro Licence headlines the list, however many other courses including the International Player to Coach programme, which helps current and former international players successfully transition from player to coach, as well as the Technical Directors Course, which gathered those who currently work as Technical Directors of elite football clubs, or those identified as possessing the potential for the role, to learn more about the dynamic and multidimensional job, as it evolves to become ever more important to the successful running of professional football clubs.
Many other courses also took place, including Futsal Coaching, Disability Coaching, Talent Identification, Medicine, Safeguarding and UEFA A, B & C Licence.
Holly Murdoch, General Manager of St. George’s Park, said: “This season has truly showcased why St. George’s Park is the home for all England teams, but also so much more. To be able to facilitate such a wide range of sports from grassroots to elite standard is testament to everyone working here, and the world-class grounds and facilities that we are able to provide.
“The 21/22 season has been an incredible experience for everyone involved, and we hope to keep the momentum going for the 2022/23 season, where we look to host more teams, sports, and conferences than ever.”
As the domestic season has drawn to a close, St. George’s Park will play its role in hosting the Lionesses for the team’s their UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 preparations.
