The Etihad City Football Academy, Melbourne, named after the Etihad airline and located in Melbourne, Australia, is the training and administrative headquarters of professional football club Melbourne City FC. The club has been based at two of these facilities, originally at in the northern Melbourne suburb of Bundoora, and later at the Casey Fields sports precinct in Cranbourne East.
| Location | La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria |
|---|---|
| Owner | Melbourne City FC (City Football Group) |
| Construction | |
| Built | 2014 |
| Opened | 2015 |
| Construction cost | $15 million AU |
| Tenants | |
| Melbourne City Football Club (Training and administration) | |
City Football Group announced the construction of the facility in mid-2014, shortly after acquiring Melbourne Heart and renaming the club as Melbourne City. The site was situated within the La Trobe University precinct.[1] Constructed in late 2014 for approximately $15 million Australian dollars, the City Football Academy has served as the Asia-Pacific base for the City Football Group company and since the opening in February 2015 has provided tenant club Melbourne City with some of the best facilities of any A-League club.[2]
The Academy included an elite level physiotherapy, rehabilitation and medical facilities, a club administrative office and multiple football pitches including a $2 million DESSO hybrid artificial surface.[2]
The facility was also the administrative and training hub of Melbourne City's youth team and women's team.[3] In December 2016, the club unveiled the Elite Women's Facility, an extension of the complex providing dedicated warm-up, training, locker and lecture rooms for the women's team.[4][5]
Melbourne City subsequently moved to Casey Fields, with the Bundoora facility being demolished after Melbourne City moved out.[6]
In December 2020, Melbourne City officials announced the club would move training and administration facilities to Casey Fields in Melbourne's South-East. In 2019 the football facilities at Casey Fields included four floodlit pitches and a one-story administration building. The club announced that, in conjunction with the City of Casey, it would add an elite training tablet pitch, expand the size of the administration building to two storeys and leave space for potential future construction of a 4,000 capacity boutique stadium. The club's youth and women's teams began moving into the facility in early 2021, and the senior men's team commenced pre-season training later that year. Construction of the additional facilities commenced in July 2021 and concluded in mid-2022.[7][8][9][10][11]
