Finch Farm
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| Finch Farm | |
|---|---|
 Everton FC's state of the art training complex |
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| Nickname(s) | School of Science |
| Address | Finch Lane, Halewood, L26 3UE |
| Coordinates | 53°21′29″N 2°48′48″W / 53.3581°N 2.8132°WCoordinates: 53°21′29″N 2°48′48″W / 53.3581°N 2.8132°W |
| Type | Football Training Complex |
| Genre(s) | Everton u-18 Everton Men’s Pan-Disability Team Everton Men’s Deaf Team |
| Built | 2006 |
| Opened | 9 October 2007 (open 1 year(s)) |
| Owner | ROM Capital |
| Construction cost | £14-17m |
| Website | evertonfc.com |
Finch Farm is the training ground for Everton F.C., in the Knowsley suburb of Halewood.
The School of Science is the nickname given to the complex by some supporters, referring to a long-standing nickname for the club. The training ground houses both the Everton first team and the youth academy. The first team squad officially moved to the complex on 9 October 2007, some time behind the target date of pre-season. Plans were drawn up for the Cheshire County Council owned site in 2002.[1]
Finch Farm was acquired in 2006 by Everton who later sold the land on for £2.1 million and then had it developed to the club’s specification by developers ROM Capital (an arm of the aAim Group). On completion, Finch Farm was valued by ROM Capital at £17 M. Everton signed a 50-year tenancy agreement with ROM Capital for Finch Farm.[2] Everton have an option to purchase the site after 5 years.
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[edit] Description
The facility boasts some of the finest training facilities in the world, and features 10 full-size grass pitches on three plateaus, one of which is a floodlit along with an additional floodlit synthetic pitch and specialist training areas for fitness work and goalkeepers, as well as an exact recreation of the pitch at Goodison Park. Inside the training complex there are extensive changing facilities for both the senior squad and the Academy players. The state-of-the-art facilities on offer will arguably make Everton a big draw for future signings and should also provide a boost in the development of the Club's Academy players, with the facilities including the following:
- Gym
- Synthetic indoor training pitch
- Hydrotherapy pools
- Spa
- Sauna
- Physiotherapy rooms
- Media centre
- Video lounges including a video editing suite
[edit] Trivia
- Everton's original training ground Bellefield was built in 1965 and has lasted 41 years
- Some residents of Halewood objected to the new academy being built on Finch Farm as it is on greenbelt land.
- The academy cost £9.5 million to build — one of the most expensive in the country.
- Everton originally tried to find land in Liverpool but eventually settled on the 55-acre (220,000 m2) site, off Higher Road and Finch Lane in Halewood.
[edit] Gallery
 Plan of new academy in Halewood |
[edit] Current Academy players
| Player | Hometown | Position | International Caps | Previous Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th Year Scholars (players born between 1 September 1989 and 31 August 1990 ) | ||||||
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Kieran Agard | London | Striker | – | Arsenal F.C. | |
 |
Lars Stubhaug | Haugesund, Norway | Goalkeeper | Norway Under-19 | SK Vard Haugesund | |
| 3rd Year Scholars (players born between 1 September 1990 and 31 August 1991 ) | ||||||
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Hope Akpan | Liverpool | Midfielder | – | – | |
 |
Moses Barnett | London | Defender | England Under-17 | Arsenal F.C. | |
|
Lewis Codling | Bootle | Striker | – | – | |
 |
Georg Krenn | Neuberg, Austria | Midfielder | Austria Under-18 | VfB Admira Wacker | |
|
James McCarten | Liverpool | Defender | – | – | |
 |
Karl Sheppard | Dublin, Ireland | Striker | Ireland Under-17 | Shelbourne FC | |
|
Jack Rodwell | Southport | Defender | England Under-21 | – | |
| 2nd Year Scholars players born between 1 September 1991 and 31 August 1992 ) | ||||||
|
Jose Baxter | Liverpool | Striker | England Under-16 | – | |
 |
Shkodran Mustafi | Bad Hersfeld | Defender | Germany Under-17 | Hamburger SV | |
|
Ger Kinsella | Dundalk, Ireland | Midfielder | Ireland Under-16 | – | |
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James Wallace* | Liverpool | Midfielder | Ireland Under-16 | – | |
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Nathan Craig | Caernarfon, Wales | Midfielder | Wales Under-16 ,Wales Under-17, Wales Under-19 ,Wales Under-21 | – | |
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Lee McArdle | Liverpool | Defender | Wales Under-16 | – | |
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Jon Nolan | Liverpool | Midfielder | – | – | |
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Shane Duffy | Derry | Defender | Northern Ireland Under-16 Northern Ireland Under-17 Republic of Ireland Under-17 Northern Ireland Under-19 |
Foyle Harps Y.F.C. | |
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Conor McAleney | – | Striker | – | – | |
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Adam Davies | Warrington | Goalkeeper | England Under-16 | – | |
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Adam Forshaw | Liverpool | Midfielder | – | – | |
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Aristote 'Toto' Nsiala | Congo | Defender | – | – | |
| Possible Future Scholars (players born between 1 September 1992 and 31 August 1993 ) | ||||||
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Jake Bidwell | Southport | Defender | England Under-16 | – | |
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Aaron Burns | Banbridge, Northern Ireland | Defender | Northern Ireland Under-16 | – | |
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Hallum Hope | – | Striker | – | Manchester City | |
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Ross Barkley | – | Midfielder | England Under-16 | – | |
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Adam Cummins | – | Defender | – | – | |
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Tom Donaghan | – | Midfielder | – | – | |
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Jordan Barrow | – | Defender | – | – | |
* James Wallace has played for Ireland at youth level but it has since been discovered that he was not eligible to play for Ireland.
[edit] Achievements & Awards
- FA Youth Cups: 3
- 1965, 1984, 1998
- FA Youth Cup runners-up: 4
- 1961, 1977, 1983, 2002
- Northern Ireland Milk Cups: 3
- 1995, 2002, 2008
| Year | Reserve Player of the Year | Academy Player of the Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Kieran Agard |
James McCarten |
| 2008 | John Irving |
Jack Rodwell |
| 2007 | John Irving |
Shaun Densmore |
| 2006 | Victor Anichebe |
Scott Phelan |
[edit] Staff
- Academy Manager: Ray Hall
- Technical Manager 9-19 years: Neil Dewsnip
- Academy Coach 17-19 years: Kevin Sheedy
- Academy Coach 6-12 years : Tosh Farrell
- Academy Director of Goalkeeping: Kevin O'Brien
- Head of Recruitment : Phil Cannon
- Head of Local Schoolboy Recruitment: Martin Waldron
- Academy Physiotherapists: Steve Hardwick
- Assistant Physiotherapist: Richie Porter
- Sports Psychologist: Carmel Triggs
- Academy Office Manager: Joan Farrelly
- Head of Education and Welfare: Mike Dickinson
[edit] Past Academy Players
The following players are just a handful of past Everton academy members currently playing for clubs in either the Premier League, The Football League or in another country. Those in bold have been capped at International level.
[edit] References
- ^ "Plans for new football academy". Liverpool Echo. 2002-09-26. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/everton-fc/everton-fc-news/2002/09/26/plans-for-new-football-academy-100252-12230477/. Retrieved on 26 September 2002.
- ^ "Everton takes 50 year lease at training ground". propertyweek.com. http://www.propertyweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=297&storycode=3102524&c=1. Retrieved on 11 November 2008.
[edit] External links
- The Everton Way - Everton Academy Online
- Everton Shareholds Association - are given tour of Finch Farm
- Information about the academy from NSNO
- Information about the academy from ToffeeWeb
- Discussions about the youth teams, results and the future stars from ToffeeTalk
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