Threat to football academy
A KEY part of England’s plans to avoid another World Cup disaster are under threat.
The FA’s new training academy, the National Football Centre, is in jeopardy as residents this week apply to the High Court to try to stop 28 houses being built alongside it.
The cash-strapped FA hopes the sale of the homes will help to fund the £100million scheme.
However, people living near the proposed site in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, claim the council acted illegally by giving the houses the green light.
Councillor Julia Jessel said: “When the houses are built it will be like an Exocet missile has landed right in the middle of a beautiful landscape.”
The worry is that without the houses the scheme will collapse.
Burton’s Tory MP Andrew Griffiths said: “The new development is so important for Burton’s future. We should be grasping this opportunity.”
