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Ex-SAFC chairman’s role in the £100m National Football Centre
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE ... former Sunderland chairman Sir Bob Murray.
FIRST came the Stadium of Light. Next there was the Academy of Light in Cleadon. Then there was the new Wembley.
Now former SAFC Chairman Sir Bob Murray is the driving force behind St George’s Park – the Football Association’s £100m National Football Centre.
The 350-acre site on the former ancestral estate of the Bass brewing family near Burton-on-Trent will be the new training home for England’s 24 representative teams, and will be the FA’s new coaching development centre.
And although it was originally designed just for football use, it will also offer facilities for a range of sports from elite rugby union and tennis to netball teams.
It will also host the League Manager’s Association offices and cutting-edge sports science laboratories.
It is 30 years since the idea of a National Football Centre was first mooted, and it is scheduled to open its doors in August this year.
Work started in 2001, but stalled, then stopped altogether. The project needed new impetus and it came in the shape of the former SAFC chairman.
So how did Sir Bob, recently made a Freeman of Sunderland, become Project Director for this hugely important development?
His experience in ensuring the Stadium of Light was delivered on time and on budget was key.
Through this work for SAFC, Sir Bob became involved with the project to build the new Wembley. The FA had been impressed in the way he had delivered the much-envied Stadium of Light on time and on budget.
The suits were equally impressed when he similarly delivered the Academy of Light.
“At the start of the decade the Government was concerned about the World Cup bid and the delay in getting Wembley started. I was placed on the Board at Wembley and in the following year the design was concluded and signed off, the contract placed and the funding obtained.”
It was his successful involvement with Wembley, that prompted the FA to ask for help with St George’s Park.
“Lord Triesman, the ex-Chairman of the FA, and Sir Dave Richards, the Chairman of the Premier League, invited me to the House of Lords for dinner and said they had a job for me. I joined the NFC in November 2008.
“I was invited to help as I have something to offer the game because of my experience and record. I’ve been supporting Sunderland for 56 years and have a deep regard and love for the game of football.”
At the time of his appointment, the project appeared to be going nowhere: “It was stalled. I removed all but one advisor, and started again from scratch. We all know about the history of the NFC over the decades, but it will be ready for occupation within three and a half years of us starting from scratch.
“The FA are administrators, not builders, and that’s where I’ve come in. After being at Sunderland for so long, I think there’s a level of respect and regard for me which has really helped.
“I’ve really enjoyed it, the key was to get the right people around me.
“I’ll be so proud when it opens its doors in August, but not as proud as I am of the Stadium of Light or the academy.”
His unpaid role of Project Director has been wide and far-reaching. Sir Bob explained: “I’ve had to ensure that the scheme and its workings are perfect, the funding is in place and the whole procurement process to deliver it is on time and in budget.
“The biggest challenge has been the funding. Sponsor Umbro has helped significantly, but the economic situation has not helped. It is, however, a good time to be building and we got a fantastic builder (Bowmer and Kirkland) at a great price. The whole project will cost only £80m, which I and others think is tremendous value for money. We haven’t had one issue or problem with the builders.”
And it is a huge project, with ambitions to match.
It has five main objectives: To be a world-class training facility for players and coaches; to be an educational hub; to be a national centre for sports medicine and science; to be a national centre for the national game; and to be a place where sports and businesses can interact.
Lofty aims, but the FA is doing all it can to ensure they are achieved.
Perhaps the main aim, however, is to develop the future generations of young English players.
Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA’s Director of Football Development, and current England manager Fabio Capello have closely monitored progress and have been very supportive.
Neither has the FA left any stone unturned to ensure St George’s Park has world-class facilities.
Sir Bob said trips were organised to Spain, France, Italy, Germany, America, the Netherlands, Australia and Qatar to learn how other countries teach their coaches and rising stars – and the facilities they have at their disposal.
“We’ve learned from the best in the world to make this the best it can be.”
The attention to detail is remarkable. Last Thursday, Club England approved the design for the shower heads for the elite training rooms in the enormous indoor arena, which easily accommodates a full-size pitch.
“Wembley is the best stage in the world, but we haven’t got the best actors. St George’s Park will help give us the best actors.
“With the right facilities and coaches, we can make good players world-class players. Look at Sunderland, think about Manchester United and Danny Welbeck.
“The Premier League has such a penetration of foreign players that you get a situation like we had whereby Danny got capped for us while on loan from Manchester United. I am sure the coaching and facilities at the Academy of Light also helped him become an England international.
“But it’s important to stress that St George’s is not a threat to any football club’s academy, it’s complementary to them, not in competition.”
Sir Bob has obvious pride in both the Stadium of Light and the Academy of Light. “The stadium is untouchable and all built for £22m.
“It has everything, and is capable of creating a really special atmosphere – like when we scored in the 93rd minute against Man City – the whole place erupted. The stadium was built for moments like that.”
He paid tribute to close friend Steve Gibson, Middlesbrough chairman, for setting the standards.
“We saw the Riverside and what could be achieved and I learnt a lot from a great guy. So many new stadiums have followed our designs.”
Sir Trevor said: “I believe the opening of St George’s Park will represent a significant step change in the ability of English football to produce better and more technically-able young English footballers through the enhanced training of the current and a new generation of coaches, and in turn we hope this will produce the successful England international teams we all want to see.”
Fabio Capello was more succinct: “In Italy we study at Coverciano. After that it’s like becoming a professor. In England you need more professors of the game, and that is what St George’s can deliver.”
It is a long-term solution, not a short-term fix.
“The aim in the long term is to win the World Cup – regularly,” explained Sir Bob.
Twitter: @shieldsgazette
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