Liverpool say farewell to historic Melwood training ground

LONDON: Jurgen Klopp said an emotional farewell to Liverpool’s historic Melwood training ground on Tuesday as the Premier League champions prepare to move into a new headquarters.

Melwood has been the club’s base for more than 70 years, with generations of Anfield players honing their craft on the training pitches.

But, unable to develop the site any further, the Reds will move the first team into the new £50 million ($66 million) AXA Training Centre in Kirby, on the outskirts of Liverpool, next week. Their new 9,200-square-metre (99,000-square-feet) training base is a state-of-the-art facility including three pitches, an indoor sports hall, two gyms, a swimming pool, hydrotherapy and sports rehabilitation facilities.

Melwood was sold last year to a company who will build homes on the site.

Klopp and his coaching staff were on site to close the gates on one of football’s most famous training grounds.

“Mixed emotions, really mixed emotions. I am happy about going to Kirkby and very sad about leaving Melwood, to be honest,” Klopp told Liverpool’s website.

“So, it’s strange; I didn’t think properly about it so far, but my PA is obviously already moving all my stuff out of my office so I realised step-by-step that the place already looks different.

“I will miss it, but that’s how it should be. Melwood was really good, it was important—an important place in my life, so I will miss it. But Kirkby will be great.”