Manchester City Mark WSL Triumph with Purpose-Built Facility Investment

Manchester City have today announced the opening of a new £10 million state-of-art first-team facility at the City Football Academy. This facility is a dedicated headquarters specifically for the Women’s First Team.

This is a great step forward for the squad after they were announced as Barclays Women’s Super League Champions on Wednesday for the first time in over ten years. They are set to lift the trophy away at West Ham on Saturday.

In fact, this is one of the largest investments ever made into a purpose-built women’s football environment and signifies the huge improvements at Manchester City regarding the infrastructure and running of the women’s side of the club.

The Facility in Detail

The building spans 17,000 square feet, which is designed to support players with their preparation, recovery, injury prevention, and performance development. This will help the players get ready and recover for games better as the facility will have equipment that is just made for the women's team. The facility will include a world-class gym, strength & conditioning facilities, medical, rehab and physio areas, hydrotherapy and recovery spaces and social and player-focused areas.

Players will have a space to socialise after training sessions and before games, which will benefit them in terms of having some space to not have to think about the games. The motto “We fight ‘til the End!” is even on their walls in the gym, highlighting what their mentality has been like this season.

The dressing rooms have been designed in a circular design to encourage team connection and player development. This will help them while playing on the pitch as they will be more connected as a team and will trust each other more, which we have seen this season. Players and staff helped shape the design of the facility, and even added photos of players and families, displays honouring players with over one hundred appearances for the club, and the club’s trophies showcased inside the building; this will soon include their newest trophy, the WSL. Manchester City last won this in 2016.

The women’s team remains fully integrated within the wider Manchester City football structure. They play at Joie Stadium which holds 7,000, and they currently have the opportunity to play at Etihad Stadium twice a season. Also, they have access to more than 1,200 staff across the club ecosystem.

Long-term Development Plan

Khaldoon Al Mubarak said the facility is the "next logical step” in Manchester City Women’s long-term development. It reflects the club’s ambition and belief in the future of women’s football. The club has invested consistently since the women’s professional relaunch in 2014. This is a huge step for the team to know that they have the backing of the club’s Chairman. 

Charlotte O’Neill said, the building is about creating an environment where players can thrive. It is intended to help the team continue competing for trophies. It also helps attract top talent in world football. It is nice for the team to hear that the club wants to bring in top talent to grow the team and to help them fight for more trophies for the club.

The team had already secured the Women’s Super League title with 52 points, which they will lift on Saturday 16th May away to West Ham. This is their 9th major trophy since 2014. Another huge achievement for the team is a 100% home win record at the Joie and Etihad Stadium.

The club is also preparing for the FA Cup Final on 31 May, which is another great achievement for the club as the men’s and the Under-18s all made it to the final as well.