Fiorentina director Joe Barone used Tottenham Hotspur as an example of what his Serie A side strived to avoid when designing their new training complex, via TuttoMercatoWEB.
The Viola unveiled their updated plans for a brand-new centre covering a 25-hectare site, which will make it one of Italy’s largest sports complexes, on Tuesday. Viola Park will also be the Tuscan outfit’s first training ground owned by the club in their 95-year history.
Fiorentina have already broken ground and lead architect Marco Casamonti hopes work is completed by December 2022, via La Nazione. The club have 400 people a day working on the construction, at an expected cost of €87m (£75m).
The new complex in the Bagno a Ripoli region will host both their male and female first-teams, plus academy squads. Which Fiorentina CEO Barone felt was important, and used Tottenham separating male and female squads as an aspect to avoid.
“The great difference between Tottenham and our sports centre is the beauty of the landscape,” Barone said. “In addition to the fact that they have a building with various centres, while here everything is very widespread, with mini stadiums, the youth sector, the first-team and the women’s pavilion.
“At Tottenham, women do not train in the sports centre. The details of various centres, one from Real Madrid, are the stands in the ten fields. Which, instead we have avoided here as superfluous, concentrating the stands in a single structure.”
Viola Park will feature 10 playing fields in total, including two mini-stadiums with capacities of 1,500 and 3,000. The site that will form a V-shape will also feature a 3,000 square metre lake and three swimming pools.
Is Tottenham a fair example for Fiorentina chief Barone to use?
Tottenham may not be the best example for Fiorentina CEO Barone to use while discussing his Serie A side’s complex. Spurs women’s manager Rehanne Skinner revealed, via the BBC, in December that they were training at Hotspur Way full-time.
Players have also praised the Enfield centre when using the complex as a hub while with their national sides. Wolves and Aston Villa defenders Conor Coady and Tyrone Mings both commended the facilities – which feature 15 grass pitches, plus one and a half artificial outdoor pitches – while training there with England during Euro 2020 over the summer.
“It’s some place,” Coady told the official England podcast. “It’s lovely, [and] it’s a nice change of scenery for one [from St George’s Park].” Adding: “I love it here, it’s a real homely place, to be honest with you, so it’s been good.”
While Mings said on England’s YouTube channel: “I have never been here before in this unbelievable set-up. I thought we had a good training ground [at Villa] until I came here.”
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