Shenley Training Centre
Encyclopedia
The Shenley Training Centre is the state-of-art training ground of the Premier League club Arsenal FC. Located in Shenley, Hertfordshire
Shenley, Hertfordshire
Shenley is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, between Barnet and St Albans. The village is located 18.7 miles from Central London.-History:...

, the multi-million pound project opened in 1999. Further upgrades have since be implemented and include an indoor training facility.

In August 2006 an artillery shell was found near the site during development work, leading to the surrounding area being evacuated.

Development

The ground received planning permission from Hertsmere Borough Council
Hertsmere Borough Council
Hertsmere Borough Council is the local authority for the Hertsmere non-metropolitan district of England, the United Kingdom. Hertsmere is located in the south of Hertfordshire, in the East of England region. The Council itself is based in Borehamwood, the largest settlement in the district,.The...

 for construction on greenfield land adjacent to a local school in the Bell Lane area near Shenley in 1999. It replaced a facility located next to University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...

 which the club had used since 1961. It opened in October 1999.

Facilities

The Training Centre covers an area of 143 acre (0.57870098 km²). In all, there are ten full-size pitches at the site. Inside the complex there are training and rehabilitation areas, physiotherapy and massage rooms and remedial and hydrotherapy pools. There are also squash/basketball courts, sauna, steam and weight rooms, a restaurant for staff and players, conference rooms, offices, classrooms and a TV studio to interview players and staff for Arsenal TV
Arsenal TV
Arsenal TV was a sports television channel devoted to coverage of the English football club Arsenal. It was a part of the Setanta Sports package and was similar to other Setanta's other channels Celtic TV, Rangers TV and LFC TV.-History:...

.

All ten pitches have undersoil drainage and an automated sprinkler system. In addition, two have undersoil heating. Each pitch is built to the exact specifications of the playing surface at Emirates Stadium. Three of the pitches are reserved for the Arsenal youth team, three for the reserves and three for the first team. The tenth pitch is the ‘match pitch’ where first team friendlies and Under-18 league fixtures are played.

A new medical and rehabilitation centre is currently under construction. The centre, set to be completed in August 2011, will position Arsenal as the leading club in world football with regard to player welfare and will be at the forefront of new developments through research and development. Extra training pitches are also set to be laid.

Criticism

The ground has attracted criticism from a number of groups. Local residents have criticised it on two occasions. In October 2001 it was reported at a parish council meeting that Arsenal players had not been involved with local initiatives, despite claiming during its planning phase that the ground would allow the club to develop links with the local community. Shenley Primary School reportedly failed to receive any visits from players despite repeated requests. The club responded by pointing to initiatives by its Ladies team to organise competitions at local grounds.

In 2005 a plan to develop new buildings and road links to the site was challenged by local residents who believed that it would lead to increased traffic and noise pollution in the area.

In May 2006 the Daily Telegraph newspaper criticised Arsenal's failure to develop young English players following a UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 match in which they did not use a single English player. The paper reported that youth team opportunities was one of the main reasons for the Shenley ground receiving planning permission, citing a statement by the club that: "The Bell Lane site is within the Arsenal 'catchment area' and the club already has a very active youth policy in the area. In particular, the club currently works closely with 12 local clubs which would be maintained and enhanced if the Bell Lane proposal were to go ahead."

Other uses

The England national football team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

 have an agreement with Arsenal to use the ground when preparing for games at the nearby Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...

, and American Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 side New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....

 held their training camp at Shenley for the NFL International Series
NFL International Series
Beginning with the 2005 season, the National Football League has hosted regular season American football games held outside the United States in a series known as the International Series.-Background:...

 in London in October 2008, with Arsenal having 'priced' themselves out of hosting the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 or the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

for the 2007 game.

The ground is also used for a number of local events, including a tournament between teams of work colleagues from eight local organisations which raised £1500 for charity in November 2009.

External links

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