Post navigation St. George's Park- The Next Generation of English Football The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced the official opening the 105m St George's Park complex in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire today. The 330-acre site will be the new home of football for all 24 England teams, from junior to senior levels. The facility is the brainchild of an idea that was actually conceived more than 30 years ago. It will hopefully follow in the footsteps of the Clairefontaine complex in France that develops national football in a similar way. Opened in 1988, Clairefontaine nurtured a French side that played football at the highest level for a generation, winning the coveted trophy in 1998. Conversely, the England senior men's team has failed to win any major international tournament since their 1966 World Cup triumph and has also not reached a semi-final since the 1996 European Championship. It is not only the men that lack a World Cup victory. Although the women's side have impressed in recent international tournaments- making three World Cup quarterfinals and two European Championships finals- they are yet to lift a major trophy. The opening of St. George's Park will hopefully spark a new breed of English footballer, with emphasis being focussed on developing the youth of the game in a more tactical manner. FA Chairman David Bernstein stated that the objective of the new complex is "to move young players away from this physical side... [towards] more skill-based football [and] to enjoy their football more". With this