The England Blind Squad received a major boost to their European Championship and Paralympic preparations this week, with the official opening of a bespoke training facility at St. George’s Park.
The new Tony Larkin pitch, launched on the same day that The FA announced £1m of funding for England blind football over the next two years, is nestled alongside two of the centre’s England development pitches and has been designed to meet the unique surface and playing conditions required by blind football.
"We’re delighted with it," explained The FA’s Head of Disability Football, Jeff Davis.
"You can’t underestimate how having pitch of such high quality and to such high specification will help in our preparation.
"It just gives us a wonderful opportunity to prepare when we need to prepare and, at the same time, really gives our players an identity of feeling part of Club England."
The England Blind Squad took on an England Legends team at SGP
To mark the occasion, the England Blind Squad welcomed a Legends team to the national football centre for a unique exhibition match, which England eventually edged 1-0 thanks to Roy Turnham's late second half strike.
After the game, England captain Keryn Seal spoke to TheFA.com about what it was like to play on the new surface and outlined how he feels it will benefit the Three Lions going forwards.
"It is a really, really nice surface to play on," he explained.
"It is just quick enough to get a good dribble on, and to play the passing style game we played today it is just grabby enough that the balls don’t run out. It is perfect for both styles of play.
"And to have our own pitch that we know is going to be the same, remains the same is going to be important in the blind game. It will give the players a lot of confidence to move on and improve our game beyond where we currently are.
"It will be invaluable for our preparation for our European Championships, Paralympic games and beyond."
The new pitch is named after former England blind football manager, Tony Larkin
As well as having a significant impact on the national set-up, the new pitch will also serve an important role in supporting local blind football clubs and community football projects by providing regular playing and training opportunities throughout the week.
St. George’s Park Managing Director, Julie Harrington, confirmed that the national football centre was committed to ensuring its use right across the blind football community.
"It is a really important for us that the facilities here at St. George’s Park aren’t just about supporting the men’s senior team," she said.
"The facilities that we are investing in are to support all 24 England teams, but they are there to support people from across football.
"Yes the England blind squad will have regular access to this facility, but so will schools or clubs opening up their own blind football programmes.
"We are hoping to inspire them to start their football journey and, who knows, the England players of the future might one day be training here."
