Osborne in grassroots pledge as £200m City Football Academy opens

CHANCELLOR George Osborne hailed the multi million investment by the Abu Dhabi United Group as “a massive vote of confidence in the ingenuity and aspiration” of the UK as he opened Manchester City FC’s new academy.

Mr Osborne who joined hundreds of club dignitaries, media, civic and business leaders at the new facility in east Manchester, announced £50m funding for grassroots football in England as he said he had been “blown away by this brilliant academy and training facility”.

He said the £200m City Football Academy would allow Manchester to retain its status as the world’s leading football city.

The academy has transformed an 80-acre brownfield site next to the Etihad Stadium into a world leading centre of excellence for the first team and the club’s reserve and junior teams.

The land, once home to the Clayton Aniline chemical works, a scarp yard and other businesses, now has a 7,000-seat arena as well as player and youth accommodation. The academy will cater for 400 players and there is also a media centre and 18 football pitches.

The site now employs 420 people, ranging from security and maintenance workers to gardeners and cooks. The majority of staff have transferred from City’s former training and academy bases at Carrington and Platt Lane, but 90 new jobs have been created, 70% of which have been allocated to people living in Greater Manchester.

During the construction process more than 880 contracts were awarded to local companies. City said 80% of the total project value had been spent in the North West.

The Chancellor said: “I am a strong believer in improving sporting facilities for young people, which is why I am delighted to oversee the opening of the City Football Academy today. The partnership between Abu Dhabi United Group and Manchester City Council is a benchmark for public private partnership, driving investment into the North of England and developing projects where business and the community benefit.”

City’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: “At the outset of his ownership, back in Autumn 2008, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, set out his vision for the future of Manchester City Football Club.

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“He pledged to bring success on the field and to nurture young talent whilst at the same time remaining proudly rooted to the community in which it resided. The cornerstone of the future, was a vision for youth development and sustainability; a vision to educate talented young footballers on and off the pitch and to do so in a facility supported by the best coaches and coaching programmes.

“The vision was underpinned by an unwavering commitment to the regeneration of the local area in both economic and environmental terms. Today marks the end of six years of extensive research, development and construction involving many, many people. It also marks the beginning of a responsibility to deliver against the opportunities that this academy now creates for us.”

The academy also accommodates the majority of Manchester based staff in one base and is the global headquarters for the group, which now includes sister clubs New York City FC, Melbourne City FC and Yokohama Marinos.

The facility was formally opened by former manager, and the club’s most decorated captain, Tony Book.

The academy complex is linked to the Etihad Stadium by a 190-metre bridge over Ashton New Road.