The KSS masterplan delivers a world-class football training facility for Leicester City FC’s boys academy and men’s first team set in 180 acres of Leicestershire countryside. Aware of the natural setting, our designs sensitively integrated several buildings and 14 football pitches into the landscape, complemented by significant tree planting and habitat creation.
Internally, the facilities combine the latest approaches in training and sports science, combined with refined interiors and a celebration of the club’s culture.
The masterplan boasts an impressive array of state-of-the-art facilities, including 14 full-size pitches, a show pitch with a 500-seat stand to allow academy teams to play in a match environment, and a full-size indoor pitch, which is a signature building that moulds into the landscape, forming the centrepiece of the masterplan. The integrated training centre building for first team and academy squads includes fitness and hydrotherapy suites, tactics, medical, and a sports turf academy, which will train the next generation of elite ground staff.
A dedicated training facility incorporates medical, tactical, rehabilitation, performance dining, media, dining facilities, a 9-hole recreational golf course and relaxation facilities for players. Throughout this building are office suites with full-height glazing, inside and outside, maximising views over the pitches and surrounding landscape. As the primary workplace for club staff, the offices are designed to the highest specification.
“It elevates the club’s offering to its players and staff to an entirely new level and is a key component in making our progress of recent years sustainable.”
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Chairman, Leicester City FC
Process
Placing the buildings in the centre of the masterplan takes advantage of the flattest part of the site and optimises the relationship between buildings and playing space. The building configuration and landscape screening are used to separate the site into zones to create a progression between the different age-groups, reinforcing the aspirational route.
Another slide
The site hierarchy looks to the future by creating an aspirational route, both in the external pitch layout and building configuration where an academy player has to earn the right to take every step to be in the first team area. This results in a layout where there is a distinct separation between the first team and academy facilities with shared areas between.