Plans for the development of a new National Football Centre (NFC) on a 330-acre (133.5-hectare) site near Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, have been unveiled by the Football Association (FA).

Kit supplier and sponsor Umbro is working alongside the national governing body on the venture, which will see the new facility named St George's Park in a bid to reflect the national identity of the site. It is anticipated that the new St George's Park centre will enable the FA to deliver its coach education agenda, as well as providing a learning and development site for refereeing, administration, sports science and medical disciplines.

England's 22 FA-supported football squads - including the senior team - will use the complex as a training base, which will include 12 full-size pitches and a multi-purpose sports hall. A 150-bed, four-star hotel and an 80-bed, three-star hotel are also planned as part of the NFC plans, as well as a regional conference venue, a banqueting suite and training and seminar rooms with a 90-seat lecture theatre and library.

The sports hall will boast facilities for Futsal and partially sighted football and a full-size indoor pitch, while the buildings will be linked by players' changing facilities, a gym and a hydrotherapy suite. NFC board chair David Sheepshanks said: "Our aim is to make St George's Park a sporting destination of choice for coaches, players, administrators and officials alike: in Wembley we have a world class stadium and in St George's Park we have the place to inspire world class performance.

"While football must always come first, our intended affiliation with universities and higher education providers can, I believe, herald a step change in the provision of coach education and career development." A public consultation process is now underway, with public exhibitions due to be held locally between 20-21 January at Tatenhall Village Hall and between 22-23 January at the Octagon Centre in Burton-upon-Trent before a planning application is submitted to East Staffordshire Borough Council in February.

Image: The FA via Getty Images