New national training centre for Andorra
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
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Andorran football can look forward to a promising future with the official opening of a new national training centre this month.
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Nestled into the mountainside a short journey from the capital Andorra la Vella and named after the first president of the Andorran Football Federation (FAF), the Francesc Vila Sports Centre will not only be home to the national football and futsal teams and elite Football School, but will also provide increased opportunities for grassroots players and clubs.
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin joined FAF president Fèlix Àlvarez at the inauguration on Wednesday, taking in the impressive facility which features a full-size, state-of-the-art artificial pitch and a futsal arena with an additional five-a-side pitch located on the roof.
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin:
"The national sports centre will serve as a hub for football development in Andorra, offering exceptional working conditions for all levels of players, from beginners to professionals. It also promotes a sense of national pride and solidarity, representing a shared accomplishment and serving as a platform to showcase the nation's capabilities on a global scale. It aligns perfectly with the UEFA Hattrick programme's goal of promoting football development across the continent."
FAF president Fèlix Àlvarez:
"It is a pleasure and an honour to officially inaugurate the Francesc Vila Sports Centre. Back in January 2018, Aleksander Čeferin laid the foundation stone of this new complex, symbolically burying a ball. And 29 years ago, Francesc Vila laid the foundation stone of the Andorran Football Federation. Thanks to him, the FAF is what it is today. He was the brave one who wanted to start this project.
“It is a modern construction, very well equipped, very functional and in a wonderful environment. Obviously, it would not have been possible without the help of the various UEFA and FIFA programmes, such as HatTrick or Forward."
UEFA support
The training base project has transitioned from vision to reality thanks in part to the HatTrick programme, which channels revenues from the UEFA European Championship back into developing the game across UEFA’s 55 member associations.
Between 2020 and 2024, €775.5m in HatTrick funding will go towards improving infrastructure, education and a wide range of other football activities.
In Andorra’s case, the programme supports the implementation of the FAF's strategy to develop and maintain the country’s football infrastructure, which it hopes will boost attendances at club and national team matches and bring the federation closer to the public.
New term for Àlvarez
President Čeferin's visit came a week after Àlvarez was re-elected president of the FAF for a further four years.
Since taking the helm in 2019, the 57-year-old former national team player has overseen a period of sustained development in Andorran football, with successes in both competition structures, where the men's top division now has ten teams, and women's football, with the national team set to compete in the first edition of the UEFA Women's Nations League this autumn. With the inauguration of the new training centre, alongside another ongoing project to build a new national stadium and HQ, the federation is now perfectly set to continue its impressive evolution.
Farewell to a legend
In a busy period for the country’s football community, the men's national team last week waved goodbye to Ildefons Lima, who holds the record for the longest international career of all time.
The 43-year-old defender made his debut in 1997 in Andorra's second-ever match, going on to win 137 caps across four decades before calling time on his international career after last week's European Qualifier away in Switzerland and making way for a member of the younger generation to follow in his inspirational footsteps.