The owners of Premier League champions Manchester City have today opened a football academy in Australia.
City Football Group have launched the City Football Academy (CFA) at La Trobe University in Melbourne which will act as 'the centre for football operations in the Asia Pacific region'.
The academy features advanced new training pitches for the Melbourne City FC first team, two elite youth team pitches, dedicated community pitches, world-class medical and sports science facilities and expansive new office space which Melbourne City and CFG chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak believes will benefit the organisation greatly.
"These facilities have been built to exactly the same standard as those in Manchester because we fundamentally believe in the provision of a world-class environment for the training and development of young players and coaches," he said.
"It's something that we also believe can be a competitive advantage for all of our clubs.
"The CFA Melbourne has been designed to help evolve, transform and sustain the sporting, commercial and community capabilities of Melbourne City Football Club while also serving as a strong centre of operations for the City Football Group in the Asia Pacific Region."
The City Football Group acquired the A-League club, known as Melbourne Heart, last year before rebranding to follow in the footsteps of Man City and their American brother club New York City FC who debut in MLS next week.
