3) The new Training Ground and excellent Youth Academy
Brighton opened the doors to their new state of the art training facility in June this year. The new £30million training ground boasts 14 full size outdoor football pitches, a distinctive Y-shaped two-story building, an indoor pitch, changing rooms, a swimming pool, medicine facilities, a gym, physio rooms and offices for the club’s analysts. Albion fans also recently heard the news that the club’s youth academy has been awarded Category One status, the highest rank under the Premier League’s Elite Players Performance Plan (EPPP). Albion will play against some of the biggest clubs in the country at under-21, under-18 and under-16 level. Their youth set-up is now recognized as being in the same bracket as clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City. With such promising news and development behind the scenes and in the community of the club, the fans should definitely be excited for the future. The following quote was taken from Paul Barber CEO discussing the youth academy “The fans want some of their own – Brighton boys or Sussex boys – to be in the first-team squad. That is really important and something they all look forward to seeing” Paul, you hit the nail on the head!
