Work Begins on England’s USD161m National Football Centre

Work has officially begun on the £100m (US$161.2m) development of the National Football Centre near Burton, after plans were first made public for the venue 10 years ago.

The St. George’s Park facility will be the new base for the England side when they meet up for international fixtures and is due to open in the summer of 2012.

The site, bought by the FA in 2001, will also host the Football Association’s coach training courses.

FA Chairman, David Sheepshanks, said: “Today is a momentous day for everyone in England who has football in their heart.”

“St. George’s Park will be the home of FA Learning – in short it will be a multi-sporting destination of choice for all.”

It will also be the headquarters for the League Managers’ Association and home to a centre for sports medicine and performance analysis. There will be community-use pitches and a multi-sports centre as well as hotels and conference facilities.

The project has created 280 permanent new jobs and is expected to generate between £5m ($8m) and £6m ($9.6m) for the local economy.