Melwood
Encyclopedia
Melwood, in West Derby
, Liverpool
, is home to Liverpool FC
's training ground
. It is not attached to The Academy, which is in Kirkby
.
It is based in the West Derby area of Liverpool
and has been their home since the fifties. The ground previously belonged to St Francis Xavier, a local school. The area was used as a playing field for the school and Father Melling and Father Woodlock who taught at the school spent hours helping the young boys play football. As a way of remembering the two priests' hard work the ground was named using the first syllables of the names of their names.
Melwood was in a terrible state in 1959, and was transformed into a top class training facility by Bill Shankly
. He introduced the five-a-side games that defined his Pass and move, keep it simple, philosophy. Players would meet and change for training at Anfield
and then board the team bus for the short trip to Melwood. After training, they would bus back to Anfield
to shower and change and get a bite to eat. Shankly
thus ensured all his players had warmed down correctly and he would keep his players free from injury. Indeed, in the 1965-66 season, Liverpool
finished as champions using just 14 players and two of those only played a handful of games.
In January 2001 Liverpool
started work on the Millennium Pavilion, a modern facility for players and coaches, designed in part and heavily influenced by then manager Gérard Houllier
. There is a small covered area for invited spectators. Training starts early in the morning with players arriving around 9 a.m. The players go through a morning session and are also required to turn in an evening session.
West Derby
West Derby is a suburb in the north of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is also a Liverpool City Council ward. At the 2001 Census, the population of the ward was 14,801 .-History:...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, is home to Liverpool FC
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
's training ground
Training ground
A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness...
. It is not attached to The Academy, which is in Kirkby
Kirkby
Kirkby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in the metropolitan county of Merseyside in England. The town was developed from the 1950s through 1970s as a means to house the overspill of Liverpool. It is situated roughly north of Huyton, the administrative HQ of the borough and about...
.
It is based in the West Derby area of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and has been their home since the fifties. The ground previously belonged to St Francis Xavier, a local school. The area was used as a playing field for the school and Father Melling and Father Woodlock who taught at the school spent hours helping the young boys play football. As a way of remembering the two priests' hard work the ground was named using the first syllables of the names of their names.
Melwood was in a terrible state in 1959, and was transformed into a top class training facility by Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly
William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...
. He introduced the five-a-side games that defined his Pass and move, keep it simple, philosophy. Players would meet and change for training at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
and then board the team bus for the short trip to Melwood. After training, they would bus back to Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
to shower and change and get a bite to eat. Shankly
Bill Shankly
William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...
thus ensured all his players had warmed down correctly and he would keep his players free from injury. Indeed, in the 1965-66 season, Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
finished as champions using just 14 players and two of those only played a handful of games.
In January 2001 Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
started work on the Millennium Pavilion, a modern facility for players and coaches, designed in part and heavily influenced by then manager Gérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season....
. There is a small covered area for invited spectators. Training starts early in the morning with players arriving around 9 a.m. The players go through a morning session and are also required to turn in an evening session.