Man City to build a football academy with a 7k seater stadium

[davieG]

Work on Manchester City's new football academy is set to start within the next few weeks, the club has said.

The development includes building a 7,000-seater stadium for youth matches and 16 training pitches.

A new sixth form college and community facilities will also be built on the 80 acre site next to the Etihad Stadium.

Full report and video

[purpleronnie]

I remember seeing the plans a while back, I thought work had already started....impressive...nice to see the money being spent on the youth team too.

[Corky]

Owners clearly thinking of the future and trying to develop their own talent.

Good on them.

[Guest BlueBrett]

Not sure building a college on the site is the best idea. 16-18 year old girls can be quite distracting in my experience

[Haydos]

[purpleronnie]

cheers for posting haydos...looks amazing.

[Guest MattP]

Great stuff.

What did we get? An Air Asia banner and a new driveway?

[Fox92]

Can't argue with that, investing into the youth team, top work.

What did we get? An Air Asia banner and a new driveway?

But have Manchester City had 'half time entertainment' provided by loads of rejects?

[Libertine Dream]

Fair play to them, rather than just throwing money at the short term theyre also throwing it at the long term. The owners clearly have a plan and know how FFP will affect them

[jonthefox]

I'm almost jealous of them sometimes.

[bmt]

That fly-through is amazing, such a good project for them. Good to see them looking to the future.

[AyewJoking]

looks like wimbledon. is this where they will coach spanish kids and pass them off as "home grown" talent?

[z-layrex]

Britain's Barcalona. I do like that club.

[purpleronnie]

looks like wimbledon. is this where they will coach spanish kids and pass them off as "home grown" talent?

How can they pass them off as home grown if they're spanish?

[Jimothy]

How can they pass them off as home grown if they're spanish?

Under the Premier League 25 squad thing, the 8 home grown players you have to have, have to have been trained at a club in this country for 3 years up to the age of 21, regardless of nationality. So Cesc Fabregas was a home grown player whilst at Arsenal. So if Man City bring in a load of foreign youngsters they can use them as a home grown player in their 25 man squad when they eventually make the first team.

[Guest Bilo]

It's very reminiscent of Barcelona's set-up with a smaller stadium for the reserves and a whacking, great complex for training at all levels.

If it works as well for Manchester City as it has for Barcelona, it can only be good for English football in general when coupled with St. George's Park.

Fair play to them.

[Fox in the North]

Hopefully and this is really wishful thinking, other successful premier league clubs could follow the same.

[purpleronnie]

It's very reminiscent of Barcelona's set-up with a smaller stadium for the reserves and a whacking, great complex for training at all levels.

If it works as well for Manchester City as it has for Barcelona, it can only be good for English football in general when coupled with St. George's Park.

Fair play to them.

Problem lies with where they get those youth players from, barcelona have genuine home grown talent but the premier league academies have a high rate of foreign youngsters...this means we train theose players that eventually knock us out of the Euro's or WC.

[Guest Bilo]

Problem lies with where they get those youth players from, barcelona have genuine home grown talent but the premier league academies have a high rate of foreign youngsters...this means we train theose players that eventually knock us out of the Euro's or WC.

You would hope that with the investment that clubs and the FA are finally putting into grass roots football that Manchester City too will have genuinely home grown talent, I think St. George's Park and this new development could potentially complement each other and we'll see more quality English youngsters coming through.

[Milton Keynes Fox]

Great for English football

[Mack]

No academy needs a 7k stadium.

These guys really know how to spend.

[Milton Keynes Fox]

No academy needs a 7k stadium.

These guys really know how to spend.

Could be trying to attract England U21s to there etc?

[davieG]

No academy needs a 7k stadium.

These guys really know how to spend.

I bet they'll get decent crowds for their U21 games so if they're allowed to play them their then it'll be better for the fans, watching our U21s in an empty KP stadium is somewhat depressing it would also preserve their pitch.

[Aus Fox]

Get a family night football thing going on down there, remember the days we used to get 20k down for reserves games. It's all in the marketing

[MPH]

Under the Premier League 25 squad thing, the 8 home grown players you have to have, have to have been trained at a club in this country for 3 years up to the age of 21, regardless of nationality. So Cesc Fabregas was a home grown player whilst at Arsenal. So if Man City bring in a load of foreign youngsters they can use them as a home grown player in their 25 man squad when they eventually make the first team.

Stab in the dark, here. Look at Spains 2005 u18 team and see how many of them made it to top club football. You'll probably find its actually very few.. so really its quite a gamble even if they are doing it.