Celtic hopes to transform their Barrowfield training facility into a centre of excellence for the club’s junior and women’s football programmes. They have been marketing this project.
At the location, construction is well under way following a protracted planning procedure.
The Scottish Daily Mail revealed in August of last year that Celtic was investing up to £20 million on the new facilities, which comprise both outdoor grass fields and a full-size indoor football field.
The club is making a big investment as manager Brendan Rodgers prepares to lead the team into a new phase of young development.
Stephen McManus on Celtic Academy’s “massive plus”
Stephen McManus, a former captain and Celtic B coach, is thrilled with the effort being made on the new centre.
“It’s a massive plus not just for the Academy but for the whole football club,” he remarked in an interview with Celtic TV. For many, it has been a long time coming. You can see how the game has changed; as many people are aware, a redesign is long overdue. Looking at the plans, you can see this is going to be an amazing facility that deserves a lot of recognition.
Living here in the winter, there’s one thing you can always count on: the temperature will drop and the pitches will eventually freeze. Because the B team and the other teams in the academy have to practise even in extremely challenging weather, having an indoor facility that can host 11-a-side games is crucial. Upon examining the largest clubs worldwide, one finds that each one has an indoor space. It’s a huge benefit for the football team.
“I think it’s important there’s a training ground that you can see the stadium from. For young players it’s really important – it’s got to be key. When I came back here in 2019 Barrowfield was still the exact same as when I walked in 1998. There’s a lot of history but football moves on quickly so it’s important that we get up to speed and have a facility we can be extremely proud of. When it’s finished it’s going to be along with the European elite.”
Celtic establish the groundwork for future prosperity
McManus goes beyond club PR with his enthusiastic assessment of the new centre. He thinks that both the club and the young players rising through the ranks have benefited greatly from this.
Additionally, Celtic FC Women will frequently use it, and if the weather at Lennoxtown is bad enough to affect training, the first team may even use it.
According to McManus, Celtic’s investment on club infrastructure was long needed, given the existing facilities had not altered in decades. I hope it’s a
endeavour that will yield benefits for many years.
Read more news on https://sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply