Man City Women Open Bespoke Training Facility With Tailored Nutrition
Inside Manchester City Women's New First-Team Facility
By Lori Ewing
MANCHESTER, England, May 13 (Reuters) - Lunch at Manchester City Women's new first-team facility no longer revolves around pasta on repeat or squeezing in alongside teenagers fresh back from school.
In a light-filled restaurant overlooking the pitches, players choose from menus tailored to their bodies, cultures and match-day rhythms, prepared by chefs hired specifically for the women's team.
City's four Japanese players eat with chopsticks engraved with their names. Jamaica striker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw prefers dishes that "burn the roof of your mouth".
Creating a Sense of Belonging
"It makes them feel like they're part of something," said Emma Deakin, director of performance services for Man City's women's programme.
The details may sound small, but they are the clearest expression of what City believe their new 10-million-pound ($13.52 million), women-only facility is meant to be: a purpose-built home that treats elite women footballers not as guests, but as the centre of the operation.
Bespoke Nutrition for Elite Performance
Nutrition has become one of the clearest examples of how bespoke that approach can be.
Dedicated Chefs and Personalized Menus
Three chefs work exclusively with the squad, collaborating closely with the club's nutritionist and players, even planning meals for bus journeys home from away games.
"The main difference is obviously the scheduling," Deakin told reporters after a tour of the new facility.
Meeting Diverse Dietary Needs
The women used to be under the same roof as the club's academy players, where hundreds of boys aged 14 to 19 needed to be fed daily.
"You've got a load of 15-year-old lads who want pasta every day, compared to Bunny, who will only eat something if it burns the roof of your mouth," Deakin said.
"We can be really bespoke around: what does fuelling look like for you? And if you're a Japanese player, if you are a Jamaican player, if you're Brazilian, we can be really specific around the girls' tastes and knowing what they want to eat and how they fuel."
No More Sharing With Academy Boys
The recently crowned Women's Super League champions unveiled the 17,000-square-foot complex to media on Tuesday. It houses a strength and conditioning space, medical, rehab and physiotherapy rooms -- including a pelvic health specialist -- and hydrotherapy facilities. Doors open directly onto the training pitches.
Even something as simple as an espresso coffee machine, Deakin said, keeps players from having to stop off at a coffee shop on the way to work.
Learning from the Best
The practical drawbacks of sharing were sometimes stark. After a spate of illness swept through the squad last September, staff traced it back to a simple cause: the academy boys had just returned to school.
Staff visited facilities in the United States plus various Olympic training bases, Deakin said, and cherry-picked what worked best for City's needs. Players were consulted on everything from the layout to colour schemes.
"We were in that (academy) building and those facilities are amazing," she said. "But it didn't feel like a home for the women's programme. It just felt like people were coming to work. This is so much better, so much better."`
Building a Winning Culture
For Charlotte O'Neill, the Man City Women managing director, the message is intentional.
"We're trying to build a winning machine," she said. "If you look at this facility, it tells you what City Football Group think of women's football and this team."
Coach Andree Jeglertz said the building's biggest impact has been the ease of connection it creates.
"I see (the players) every day. You don't need to book a meeting," he said. "You walk past the players all the time, you can easily go down to the gym if you want to speak to someone, or grab them at lunch."
'Complete Control' and a Sense of Home
City's captain Alex Greenwood said the difference is felt from the moment she arrives.
"I absolutely love this building. I love turning up at the gates every single morning," she said. "I'm excited to be around everyone.
"The big standout for me is the nutrition. We used to share with academy boys who were still growing into men, and the food maybe wasn't always the best option for us as elite women. Now we're in complete control – the food, the gym, it's all ours."
That sense of ownership, Greenwood added, has fostered togetherness without forcing it.
"It's not manufactured. People want to spend their time here," she said. "Before, I could go a day without seeing familiar faces because the building was so big.
"This is our personal space. It's private. It really feels like a home."
($1 = 0.7394 pounds)
(Reporting by Lori EwingEditing by Christian Radnedge)
