World Cup send-off
Gareth Southgate’s England fine-tuned their 2018 World Cup preparations at St. George’s Park.
And, ahead of their international match with Costa Rica at Elland Road, the full England squad spent an hour in the futsal hall speaking to the media at an NFL Superbowl-style event for newspapers, broadcast, radio and internet-based agencies.
Check out some of the photos and highlights from the day here.
Double-header for England Futsal
The Three Lions contested a double-header against Poland – with both matches shown live on the BBC Sport website.
Despite putting in a strong performance, Michael Skubala saw his team slip to a 3-1 defeat during the first match with the heavily-favoured Poland side.
The hosts were then edged out in a nine-goal thriller – Poland securing a 5-4 win courtesy of two late strikes.
Forest prepare
Nottingham Forest kick-started their 2018/19 preparations with an intense four-day training camp.
Aitor Karanka’s outfit, who also visited the site ahead of their Championship clash at Burton Albion last season, trained, made use of the performance facilities and stayed at the on-site Hilton Hotel.
On their camp, Karanka said: “I knew before we came that the facilities are amazing.
“I was thinking at the end of last season that we wanted to change the team.
“It’s been good for the group to be together in these amazing facilities.
“I have to say thank you to The FA and everybody here because it’s really good to start the new season in this environment.”
Thanks to St. George's Park for hosting us over the next few days. Amazing facilities to begin our pre-season and spend some quality time together as a squad. #ThatLovingFeeling pic.twitter.com/mYW8vbU6tk
— Aitor Karanka (@Karanka) June 25, 2018
England Blind train
Jon Pugh’s England Blind geared up for the World Championships at the home of England’s 28 teams.
As well as an intense training schedule, the head coach and players took part in pre-tournament media duties.
You can check out BBC Sport’s feature here.
BT Sport Pub Cup
Rio Ferdinand, Adebayo Akinfenwa, Robbie Savage and John Hartson were in the dugouts at the BT Sport Pub Cup semi-finals.
Check out highlights from the day here.
It’s a free to enter football tournament celebrating pubs and their football teams which are at the heart of communities across the UK.
Starting off as 7-a-side, the regional tournaments were contested at six football stadiums across the UK, including Everton’s Goodison Park and Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough.
The tournament and semi-finals then moved to an 11-a-side format at St George’s Park before the final at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium - Hackney pub, 'The Gun', running out as overall winners.
Canadian side visit
Vancouver Whitecaps women’s U16s trained and played on site.
They faced Sunderland and Derby County sides on the David Beckham Pitch.
Albert Phelan Cup
Wolves and Blackburn Rovers contested the Premier League U14 Albert Phelan Cup final.
Rovers came out on top in the north section while Wanderers were victorious in the southern section with the decider taking place in East Staffordshire.
The Molineux side were 3-2 winners in a pulsating tie.
The prestigious youth tournament is dedicated to the long-serving Games Programme Event consultant Albert Phelan.
FA Disability Cup finals
St. George’s Park hosted the 2018 FA Disability Cup Finals.
Six games took place across two days in a variety of categories, there was some great action for the fans and spectators at the national football centre in Burton.
Congratulations to all of the winning teams and you can see the results from the two days below.
Saturday 16 June
Partially Sighted Final
North West Scorpions 1-4 Birmingham Futsal
Cerebral Palsy Final
North East & Yorkshire Disability 2-0 Chelsea Blues
Powerchair Final
Aspire PFC 0-1 West Bromwich Albion
Sunday 17 June
Amputee Final
Everton 2-3 Peterborough United Amputees
Blind Final
RNC Leicestershire Foxes 1-0 West Bromwich Albion
Deaf Final
Derby County Community Trust 9-0 Braidwood Trust School
Pro Licence
As professional players, Nicky Butt, David James and Nemanja Vidic reached the top of their game.
And as aspiring professional coaches, they did the same when they were among 27 learners to graduate from The FA’s highest coaching qualification - The FA Level 5 (UEFA Pro) in Coaching Football course.
The trio joined fellow ex-professionals such as James Beattie and Jason Euell to complete the prestigious 18-month long course with a graduation ceremony at St. George’s Park.
The event, hosted by Sky Sports presenter Hayley McQueen, was attended by many of the country’s leading coaches and alumni from the course, including
Darren Moore and Tony Mowbray who were present to hand out certificates and take part in a Q&A.
ISFA
ISFA [Independent Schools Football Association] National Finals were held at the national football centre.
200 girls took part in their U11 and U13 Girls National Finals Day.
Southbank Kensington came out on top to lift the U17 trophy for the first time while Surbiton High School were celebrating at the end of the inaugural Independent Schools U13 Girls tournament– they saw off Royal Russell in the final.
Nike Partner Club World Football Festival
Nike TEAM hosted the Nike Partner Club World Football Festival at St. George’s Park, with 12 Nike Partner Clubs and a total of 120 young athletes!
The sports giants invited 12 U10 teams, from 12 different County FAs across the country to enjoy the ultimate football experience.
Squads played in non-competitive games in girls and mixed teams while the young athletes completed player themed challenges – Kick Like Kane, Duggan Dribble, Butland’s Batak & Taylor on Target!
