Training ground (association football)
A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness. They also sometimes form part of a club's youth system, as clubs consider it important to have good facilities to aid the development of young players.[1]
Training grounds are usually separate from a team's stadium, as clubs use the facilities to avoid overusing the stadium's pitch. However, teams usually train inside the opposing team's stadium on the day before a European away game, both for the benefit of the media and to become familiar with the surface.
Training ground incidents
There have been several high-profile incidents, at training grounds, where players have been injured in disputes between teammates.[2] Joey Barton was given a suspended prison sentence, on 1 July 2008, for an assault on teammate Ousmane Dabo on Manchester City's training ground[3] and Andy Carroll broke teammate Steven Taylor's jaw in a fight.[4]
Gallery
- USA players training during the 2006 World Cup.
- Lennoxtown, the training ground of Celtic F.C.
References
- Pompey training ground approved, BBC Sport, 16 July 2008.
- Curtis, Ben. "Training-ground bust-ups: the best of the best", The Times, 8 October 2008.
- FA charges Barton over Dabo clash, BBC Sport, 31 July 2008.
- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/football_league/article7071885.ece