Chinese Super League football club plans for training facility to rival world's best
– Andrew James, Populous principal
The ambitious mission of global sports architects Populous to turbocharge China’s footballing infrastructure has taken another step forward with the announcement of what will be one of the country’s biggest and best training facilities.
Two years of research and planning has gone into the project, which will be located in Gu’an County, Hebei Province and used by Chinese Super League club Hebei China Fortune (CFFC) for its first team, reserves and youth academy.
According to Populous principal Andrew James, the facility has been “benchmarked against the world’s best training centres,” particularly those in Europe, and will include 12 FIFA standard football fields, a training hub, a medical centre, a gym and a hotel and apartments.
“CFFC spent twelve months visiting some 20 football training centres in Europe and provided us with an extensive design brief of their requirements,” he said. “Our task was to assimilate all their technical requirements into a design that was functional, efficient and aesthetically pleasing.
“We have set out to create an environment where the footballers love coming to work, to train, to socialise and to enjoy themselves.”
CFFC chair, Zhao Hongjing, claimed the new facilities will help him establish the club over the next decade and beyond.
“Looking all over the world, whenever there is a powerful football club, there is always a complete set of infrastructure to back it up,” he said. “Both the club and head coach Manuel Pellegrini take the construction of a youth training system very seriously, and we believe that it’s like a football philosophy and strategy, just like that practiced by the youth training echelon of FC Barcelona.”
Construction will begin in early April and be completed by mid-2018.
Populous first dipped their toes into the Chinese sports market 16 years ago to work on the design of the Nanjing Sports Park, which would go on to host the China National Games in 2005 and the IOC Youth Olympic Games in 2014. Since then they have worked in the country designing structures such as Zhuhai’s International Tennis Centre.
Last year they reached a deal with Alisport – the sports arm of Chinese global trade platform Alibaba – to design much of China’s sporting and football infrastructure, which will incude renovating existing facilities and building new ones.
China has been unflinching in making clear its desire to become a world football superpower, with its domestic football teams spending millions on established foreign football stars and President Xi Jinping making the bold statement that he wants the nation to host – and then win – the FIFA World Cup.
Chinese Super League Populous Manuel Pellegrini football China architecture infrastructure Hebei China FortunePopulous eyes 10 major projects to aid Chinese football revolution
Populous and China's Alisports ink ambitious sports infrastructure partnership
Populous-designed Zhuhai tennis centre completed in time to host WTA trophy
FEATURE: Interview – Andrew James
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
BrunelloCucinelli has madehisfortune from cashmere and has used hiswealthto restoreandrevive theItalian hamlet he callshome. Wefindout more