Ranking the Best Training Ground Facilities in World Football

More and more as the game has developed over the years, so too have the training-ground facilities where the players prepare for matches, and we the Bleacher Report are here to rate the best of those centre of excellences in Planet Football.

As, whether it be to fine-tune a player’s skills, study the opposition in detail, recover physically from a previous game’s exertions, or receive treatment for an injury, the standard of a club’s training ground is often a reflection of their overall wellbeing in the game.

And so who has the best facilities in world football then at present then ….?

Everton: Finch Farm

Everton moved into their new state-of-the-art training ground on October 9 2007, a year after the complex was built, and have been enjoying the word-class facilities ever since.

Nicknamed the “School of Science” by the club’s fans in reference to the Toffees’ long-running moniker, Finch Farm boasts some of the most eye-catching training equipment in Planet Football.

These include ten full-sized grass surfaces with which to practice on, as well as an exact replica of the Goodison Park pitch, and all at a cost of just £9 million.

Ajax: De Toekomst

Positioned next to the Eredivisie giants’ Amsterdam ArenA De Toekomst, which means the future in Dutch, was first built in 1993, before being officially unveiled on August 14 1996.

Seating up to 5,000 people, the training centre houses the first and second teams, as well as the club’s youth and amateur sides, and has over the years honed and fine-tuned the skills of some the Oranje’s greatest-ever players, such as Edwin van der Sar, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Kluivert.

AC Milan: Milanello Sports Centre

One of the most renowned and distinguished training complexes in world football, the Milanello Sports Centre, simply referred to as Milanello, has been in operation since 1963.

Consisting of 160,000 square metres, including a pinewood, a little lake, six normal pitches, one in synthetic grass, one covered pitch and one small-sized outdoor pitch, the centre is also used by the Italian Football Federation to prepare for major international tournaments.

And over the years, Milanello has also gained a reputation for being able to prolong players’ careers well into their late thirties, as seen with the likes of Milan greats Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta.

Manchester United: Carrington

Officially opened on July 26 2000, the Trafford Training Centre, or simply Carrington as most people refer to it as, is the training ground of Premier League giants Manchester United.

The actual complex contains both training and rehabilitation areas, as well as 14 practice pitches of all different sizes.

Covering a total area of 108 acres, the press have dubbed the facilities “Fortress Carrington” owing to the 2.4 kilometres of fencing and 30,000 trees surrounding it in order to prevent both press intrusion and opposition spying.

And in April, the Red Devils secured an eight-year naming rights agreement with Aon worth a whopping £120m that will see the centre renamed the Aon Training Complex.

Barcelona: Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper

Named after the club’s Swiss founder, Joan Gamper, this new training ground for the Catalan giants was officially opened on June 1 2006, initially just being used by Barca’s youth teams, before the first team also moved there on January 19 2009.

And that ended the seniors’ 30-year association with the world famous La Masia, but at a cost of 68m euros the new Ciutat Esportiva is now the envy of the world and one of the very best examples of a training ground.

Real Madrid: Ciudad

At an estimated cost of 70m euros, los Blancos’ new facilities really are a site to behold, as befits the biggest football team in the world.

It was opened in 2005 to replace the club’s old training ground, known as Ciudad Deportiva, which was sold by Madrid president Florentino Perez for a reported 480m euros. The complex, known as “Valdebebas”, really does contain just about anything and everything one would expect in a modern, state-of-the-art training ground.

Arsenal: Shenley

This multimillion-pound centre of excellence was built in 1998 on the specific orders of new head coach Arsene Wenger, who was stunned to learn that the north London club were still using the nearby University College London sports grounds to train on.

However, after it’s official unveiling in October 1999, the Gunners’ new training ground has gone on to be recognised as being one of the very best that there is to offer in world football, boasting as it does ten practice pitches, all with undersoil heating and the same dimensions as the Emirates playing surface.

And the subsequent medical centre that was opened in October 2011 has since moved Arsenal to the forefront when it comes to treating one's players.

Sporting Lisbon: Academia De Alcochete

Opened in 2002, not only is Sporting’s training ground considered to be the best of its kind in Portugal, but also one of the very best in the whole of Europe, so much so that many top teams from across the Continent, as well as the Portuguese national team, also often use the facilities.

Famous for its unrivalled privacy that it affords players, the Sporting Academy has over the past decade and more produced some of the very best technicians the world has seen, including luminaries such as Paulo Futre, Figo, Ronaldo and Nani.

Chelsea: Cobham

Taking three years to build on the specific instructions of new Blues owner Roman Abramovich, and at a cost of £20m, Chelsea’s new Cobham training ground was eventually opened in 2007, meaning that the west London club no longer had to use the antiquated facilities at Imperial College’s Harlington training ground, which they had done since the 1970s.

Built on 140 acres of land, it contains 30 practice pitches, including three with undersoil heating and six to Premier League standards, as well as an artificial indoor pitch, media and medical centres, gyms, sauna and steam rooms and a 56ft hydrotherapy pool.

French Centre of Excellence, Clairefontaine

Built in 1985 on the instructions of French Football Federation president Fernand Sastre, the centre was finally opened three years later and hones the skills of France’s best young footballers from the Ile-de-France region between the ages of 13 and 15.

However, the complex really came to prominence after les Bleus staged and won the 1998 World Cup for the very first time in their history, with the national team staying at Clairefontaine throughout their run all the way to the final.

And with a production line of players such as Nicolas Anelka, William Gallas, Thierry Henry and Louis Saha coming out of the facility over the years, it is understandable why it is held in such high regard.

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