Murray Park
Encyclopedia
Murray Park is the training ground
of association football team Rangers F.C.
Located in Auchenhowie
, Milngavie
, on the outskirts of Glasgow
.
when he arrived at the club in 1998. It was officially opened on 4 July 2001 by Advocaat and then-chairman Sir David Murray
, after whom it is named. The total cost of the complex was estimated at around £14 million.
Murray Park is often used by visiting club and national teams playing in Scotland. For example, the South Korea national football team, then managed by Advocaat, hired the facilities for their training before the 2006 FIFA World Cup
.
Outside there are six full size pitches along with two half sized ones and a practice area. Two of the full-sized and one half-sized pitch are used just by the first team, these have undersoil heating, the others are used by the youth sides.
The state-of-the-art gym equipment, costing £150,000, are all linked to a computer system which can activate a personalised fitness programme for individual players. The gym also houses an isokinetic machine, which allows players to work out despite being injured by testing muscle strength and reactions. There is a hydrotherapy pool that has an angled, moveable floor and a series of massage jets and currents that allows a range of rehabilitation exercises to take place.
There is also a media editing suite costing £50,000 which is where a video analyst will video each training session. The footage will be used to conduct tactical lessons in the lecture room afterwards.
Training ground
A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness...
of association football team Rangers F.C.
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
Located in Auchenhowie
Auchenhowie
Auchenhowie is a small area in Glasgow, by Milngavie. It is best known as the location of Rangers F.C.'s Murray Park training facility.It is also home to Western Wildcats Hockey Club....
, Milngavie
Milngavie
Milngavie , is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden....
, on the outskirts of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
History
The complex was first proposed by then manager Dick AdvocaatDick Advocaat
Dirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat is a Dutch football manager and former player currently the manager of the Russia national football team.He has been moderately successful as a football player and as a coach, which included two stints with the Dutch national football team...
when he arrived at the club in 1998. It was officially opened on 4 July 2001 by Advocaat and then-chairman Sir David Murray
David Murray (Scottish businessman)
Sir David Edward Murray is a Scottish entrepreneur, businessman and former owner and chairman of Rangers Football Club....
, after whom it is named. The total cost of the complex was estimated at around £14 million.
Murray Park is often used by visiting club and national teams playing in Scotland. For example, the South Korea national football team, then managed by Advocaat, hired the facilities for their training before the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
.
Facilities
The site covers a size of thirty-eight acres (over fifteen hectares). It is divided into three areas: the administration wing, the professional wing for the first team and the youth development wing. The professional and youth wings have their own separate receptions, dining areas, changing rooms, kit stores and lecture rooms. Both share facilities including the gym, medical suite and the indoor synthetic pitch.Outside there are six full size pitches along with two half sized ones and a practice area. Two of the full-sized and one half-sized pitch are used just by the first team, these have undersoil heating, the others are used by the youth sides.
The state-of-the-art gym equipment, costing £150,000, are all linked to a computer system which can activate a personalised fitness programme for individual players. The gym also houses an isokinetic machine, which allows players to work out despite being injured by testing muscle strength and reactions. There is a hydrotherapy pool that has an angled, moveable floor and a series of massage jets and currents that allows a range of rehabilitation exercises to take place.
There is also a media editing suite costing £50,000 which is where a video analyst will video each training session. The footage will be used to conduct tactical lessons in the lecture room afterwards.
External links
- Murray Park at the Rangers home page