First pictures unveiled of state-of-the-art Sheffield football academy which will open in September

The Kickabout Performance Academy will open its doors this September in Sheffield after planning permission was granted by council chiefs.

The centre will be only the second of its kind in the UK and will feature the latest professional technology including GPS tracking vests and ball mounted cameras to review player performance.

Founder Damien Quigley said they were ‘delighted’ to announce the launch of their first campus in Tinsley, just down the road from the English Institute of Sport.

He said: “Kickabout will be open to anyone and everyone who wants to take their game to the next level and will be offering UEFA certified football development with a focus on using digital technologies to aid skill progression.

“Some of the tech we have is pretty awesome and usually only afforded to the top tier clubs and the Ronaldos of this world.

“We are a brand dedicated to reinstating ‘The Game’ to the heart of the communities throughout the UK and beyond and believe sport has the power to positively transform attitudes, communities and economies.”

The academy is currently being built in the former DPD warehouse on Vantage Close in the east Sheffield suburb.

When complete it will be fitted with a rubber-crumb, synthetic playing surface as well as two three-vs-three pitches, areas for football squash, football tennis and teqball.

There will also be dribble and passing zones, a one-on-one training area, shooting targets, gym, physio room, healthy cafe and changing rooms with showers.

When the planning application for the academy was lodged in May, Charlotte Stainton, of Stainton Planning, in a statement on behalf of Kickabout, said there was a clear need for the centre, citing the UK’s lack of high quality, indoor football training facilities.

“This means players are often training outdoors which is restricted by short days in the winter and the weather, resulting in poor quality, muddy pitches,” she said.

The proposed opening hours for Kickabout will be weekdays from 8am-10pm and 9am-6pm on weekends and bank holidays.

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