FA’s new academy and the next generation

History doesn’t reveal everything it is true, but I think we can fairly assume that when St Paul’s Cathedral was consecrated in 1708, Sir Christopher Wren had not become involved in a race row with a fellow architect or referred to the Church of England hierarchy as a bunch of t****.

Yet such is the pervading culture of English football that, on the day that its own citadel was unveiled, the twin gargoyles of John Terry and Ashley Cole and their spout of spite, cast an unhealthy shadow over the proceedings.

Eleven years in the making at a cost of £120m, there is no doubting that St George’s Park, nestling near Burton-On-Trent in Staffordshire’s quiet greenery, is a mightily impressive edifice.

From the Champions League standard surfaces on the practice pitches to the innovative medical treatments in the rehabilitation centre; from the hydraulic hydrotherapy pool to the five state of the art gyms, the Football Association has put itself on a par with the likes of France, Germany and Holland in terms of a base for its national teams. And not before time.

Dazzled by facilities

During the 1998 World Cup in France, I visited Clarefontaine, the French Football Federation’s centre of excellence just outside Paris, and was dazzled by its scope, philosophy and facilities.

It had opened 10 years previously and, of course, the dividend was gloriously reaped when France lifted the trophy that summer.

Two years previously when England had hosted Euro 96 , their training base consisted of a couple of pitches and a tennis court located at the quaint country house setting of Bisham Abbey. To be honest, it might as well have been Downton Abbey.

So at last the FA has a gleaming new home in which to plot the resurgence of the nation which brought football to the world, but the mere bricks and mortar will be as nothing without the lifeblood of fresh new talent in the shape of players, coaches and administrators.

What the Terry and Cole affairs have reminded us is that the sometimes the mentality of English footballers is not in tune with the modern trappings of their surroundings.

In this instance the FA continues to have a problem since the actual footballing development of promising youngsters remains within the cloistered locker room ambience of the clubs.

Teenage footballers won’t receive full package

St George’s Park is, primarily, a base for discovering and nurturing the future of coaches rather than players and so, unlike the Dutch model, teenage footballers will not receive their complete education at the centre.

It is therefore more difficult to devote the time and care needed to develop these young people not just as elite athletes but as well-rounded human beings who understand implicitly the broader responsibilities of their potential fame and influence.

In the Twitter age some players appear to have misguidedly interpreted the noble concept of freedom of speech as carte blanche to abuse, defame and vilify with impunity.

If that is their lead thousands will follow and progress will not be made if the underlying culture is of arrogance, disrespect and lack of restraint.

Great figures of the past are commemorated in all corners of Burton.

Paying homage to great heroes of the game

The specialist goalkeeping facility is named after Peter Shilton, for example, while the conference and meeting rooms pay homage to illustrious former managers, including long time FA bete noire Brian Clough.

To these it might be an idea to add a John Terry Self Help Centre or an Ashley Cole Naughty Step.

In fairness, the England squad were a credit to their nation during Euro 2012 and the vast majority of players represent their sport with great professionalism.

But Club England managing director Adrian Bevington is to be applauded for introducing a code of conduct which outlines the behaviour expected of those representing their country and carries the threat of serious punishment for those who fall short of it.

This needs to extend way beyond a group of millionaire international footballers, it must become the template for any and all of the millions of youngsters who dream of pursuing a career in the national game. Ultimately that could be St George’s Park’s most profound legacy.