Want training facilities for the national teams: – Our competitors have it
At the press conference before the World Cup qualifiers between Norway and the Netherlands, national team coach Ståle Solbakken was asked if he could imagine a similar facility as the Netherlands has.
The question was answered with a smile, while he pointed to the elite football director of the Norwegian Football Association, Lise Klaveness, who was on sale.
– We have lagged behind
Klaveness thought it was not the right time to talk about it then, but is ready to elaborate when TV 2 talks to her at Gardermoen.
– Yes, Ståle points to me because he knows that I am incredibly concerned that we will put in place a national training facility.
– Most of our competitors have it. We have not reached the goal on the men’s side in 20 years. On the women’s side, we have lagged behind, says the elite football director to TV 2.
She emphasizes that there is also a lot that is very good, but believes that the question should not be handled why we should have a national training facility, but why we not should have it.
– With that backdrop, and given that our competitors have it, I mean it. I and many in elite football are very keen to get in place and facilities where we can gather the coaching education, age-specific national teams and the A national teams. One thing is the facilities, but it is also about the culture you build.
The national team tends to stay in hotels and train on lawns in the Oslo area when there is a national team gathering.
Exposed to the pandemic
The training facility that Klaveness wants to have been discussed in the football community.
In 2018, the Norwegian Football Association, Ullensaker Idrettsråd and Sand IL signed a letter of intent on the construction of a national training facility at Jessheim.
Since then, little has happened.
Financial uncertainty during the corona pandemic must have been one of the reasons why the project has been put on hold. For there is no doubt that such a facility will be a costly affair.
But how much money are we really talking about?
– It depends on where you lie down. It must be big enough, but not St George’s park either. There must be something that is adapted to Norwegian conditions and Norwegian culture, but which is large enough that it can be a home for the national teams and top clubs that will go to Europe, in addition to the coaching education, Klaveness believes.
– Everyone wants a mini-St. Georges Park
National team coach Ståle Solbakken also admits that such a project will be expensive.
It is an expensive and long canvas to bleach. All football associations want to have a mini-St. Georges Park in England. Denmark has the same discussion, where they are looking for a place with good grass pitches, and a good hotel – a place that will benefit many in the country, he says to TV 2.
When it comes to what will be the purpose of such a facility, Solbakken is tight-lipped, but clear,
– It is a competence center where the national teams can have good surroundings and top conditions.