18 Dec 2017
Sun, sea, and soccer will be on the menu in abundance at Spain's La Manga Club this winter, with professional football teams from all over Europe jetting into Europe's top sports resort for warm-weather training camps.
Nearly 60 teams, ranging from national age-group sides to Champions League clubs, will take advantage of the Murcian resort's world-class football facilities in the first few months of 2018, while the Chelsea FC Foundation launches its newest international junior academy at the resort in April.
Heading the list of clubs flying into Spain are Belgian champions Anderlecht, who, after failing to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions League, will be looking to ramp up their challenge to win their record 35th Belgian Pro League title. They currently sit third, seven points ahead of sixth-placed Sint-Truidense (STVV), who are also visiting La Manga Club at the same time as their rivals.
Dutch outfits SC Heerenveen and FC Utrecht, Bundesliga side VF Stuttgart, five-time Norwegian champions Vålerenga, and CSKA Sofia – who have won the Bulgarian title a record 31 times – will also be visiting the five-star facility and will be joined by other men's and women's club sides from Denmark, Germany and Norway.
An international flavour is offered up by men's and women's national sides from Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and even the USA, at age levels between under-17 and under-23, who are also booked in to take advantage of the sunny skies. At senior level, the national women's teams of England, Scotland, Norway and the Netherlands will also be in attendance.
And, if they need keeping in order, more than 60 Scottish referees will be visiting in the middle of January.
Chad Harpur, La Manga Club's director of sports, explained: “The resort's appeal as a world-class destination for football continues to grow within both the men's and women's games. Indeed, earlier this year we signed a new three-year contract with the Norwegian Football Federation, extending our successful partnership into a third decade.
“All the clubs say the same thing: the top amenities, accommodation and leisure facilities are ideal for their purpose and with, almost guaranteed sunshine, it's a welcome getaway for clubs, particularly those whose season is subject to an enforced winter break.”
With extensive facilities including eight FIFA-approved grass pitches, La Manga Club has made a name for itself as a first-choice destination for warm-weather football training breaks.
A collection of the game's biggest names including Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Vfl Wolfsburg are among the professional clubs to have used the resort the resort this year.
As well as its football training amenities, the resort boasts a fully-equipped gym and indoor swimming pool, ideal for recovery sessions; a host of rooms and spaces to cater for tactical meetings, private team dining and a new High Performance Sports Centre, where players can use the most advanced technology possible to study all aspects of their health and training programmes.
Set in 1,400 acres, the award-winning venue is also the official overseas training base of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and offers unrivalled facilities as a sports and leisure destination including three 18-hole golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and a 2,000sqm spa and fitness centre. It also offers the choice of a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses and more than 15 bars and restaurants.
ENDS
Information for journalists
Press release written and distributed on behalf of La Manga Club by the Azalea Group.
About La Manga Club
Located in a magnificent natural environment next to Calblanque National Park and the Mediterranean Sea, with a mild year-round climate and enjoying exceptional security and privacy, the exclusive resort of La Manga Club (Los Belones, Cartagena, Murcia) offers luxury, leisure and sport in the same place, and is set just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour away from Alicante. Founded in 1972, the resort now covers an area of 566 hectares containing accommodation, professional sports facilities, relaxation zones, first-class redevelopment and a private community of 2,300 residents, in a region which boasts more than 350 days' of sun and is surrounded by natural parks and untouched beaches. La Manga Club's extensive facilities include:
- A five-star hotel: Hotel Príncipe Felipe 5*
- Tourist apartments: Las Lomas Village 4*
- Luxury villas
- Three 18-hole golf courses
- A 28-court tennis centre
- Eight Fifa-sized football pitches
- 2,000 m2 Spa and fitness centre
- The resort's famous La Cala beach and restaurant, overlooking the Mediterranean
- More than 15 bars and restaurants
Additionally, there is the opportunity to rent a property, purchase a plot of land or buy any of the villas already available that have been built on the complex, and benefit from the services and commodities that a five-star hotel has to offer, such as the sports facilities on the resort. With the variety of activities and facilities available, La Manga Club has firmly established itself as one of the best sports and leisure destination resorts in Europe, and has been the proud recipient of a host of prestigious international awards and accolades over the last four decades.
• High-resolution images of La Manga Club may be downloaded for editorial purposes from https://goo.gl/oi837y
For more information on La Manga Club contact Pete Simm on 01730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com
