Celtic have been promoting the redevelopment of their Barrowfield training ground today, which they hope will become a centre of excellence for youth and women’s football at the club.
Construction is well underway at the site after a planning process that has taken years.
The project was announced way back in 2019 before permission to build the complex was granted by Glasgow City Council in late 2021.
Last August, The Scottish Daily Mail reported Celtic were spending as much as £20m on the new facilities which include a full-size indoor football pitch as well as grass pitches outdoors.
It’s a significant investment from the club as Brendan Rodgers looks to embark on a new era of youth development as manager.
Stephen McManus on ‘massive plus’ for Celtic Academy
Celtic B coach and homegrown former captain Stephen McManus is delighted with the work being put into the new centre.
Speaking to Celtic TV, he said: “It’s a massive plus not just for the Academy but for the whole football club. It’s been a long time coming for a lot of people. You see the way the game has evolved, it’s been due a revamp as a lot of people know. When you see the plans, it’s going to be a fantastic facility and one that certainly deserves a lot of credit.
“The one thing you can guarantee when you live here in the winter is it’s going to get cold and the pitches are going to get frozen. For the B team and the teams throughout the academy, having an indoor facility that has the capability of playing 11-a-side games is really important because they need to continue to train even when the conditions are quite difficult. When you look at all the biggest clubs in the world, everyone has got an indoor facility. It’s a massive advantage for the football club.
“I think it’s important there’s a training ground that you can see the stadium from. For young players it’s really important – it’s got to be key. When I came back here in 2019 Barrowfield was still the exact same as when I walked in 1998. There’s a lot of history but football moves on quickly so it’s important that we get up to speed and have a facility we can be extremely proud of. When it’s finished it’s going to be along with the European elite.”
Celtic lay foundations for future success
McManus’ enthused verdict on the new centre goes beyond club PR. He believes this is a big step forward for the club and the youth players coming through the ranks.
It will also be a facility used by Celtic FC Women regularly and potentially even by the first team if the weather at Lennoxtown is so severe as to impact training.
As McManus states, the previous facilities had been unchanged in decades and it was long overdue that Celtic made an investment of this calibre in club infrastructure. Hopefully it’s a project that pays dividends for years to come.