Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise New York City FC has opened its new first-team training facility.
Etihad City Football Academy is the third such facility built across the globe by the club’s majority owners, City Football Group (CFG). Marking the Group’s first permanent training complex in the United States, the Academy features leading medical and sports science facilities in a bid to drive elite performance.
The Etihad City Football Academy was designed, built and is now operated in a manner consistent with CFG’s approach to infrastructure and proven best practice. The facility shares design elements and functionality with the first two City Football Academies in Manchester and Melbourne and was also designed by the same New York-based architect, Rafael Viñoly.
The facility is located on a 17-acre site that had previously sat vacant in Orangeburg, New York for more than a decade. The project created 210 construction jobs, 60 per cent of which are located within 30 miles of the facility. In addition, 35 contracts were awarded to local companies and NYCFC donated $250,000 (£182,000/€207,000) to the town to put towards infrastructure.
NYCFC vice-chairman Marty Edelman said: “This is a proud and important milestone for our Group and club. Not only is this facility evidence of our deep investment in global soccer, it also shows our club’s and owners’ long-term commitment to New York City and the Metropolitan Area.”
Image: New York City FC
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