THE day generations of Hibs stars dreamed of finally arrived today as the Easter Road club officially opened its £4.2million state-of-the-art training centre.
And immediately boss John Collins claimed there wasn't a football manager in the world who wouldn't be proud to have the East Mains Training Centre, built on more than 50 acres of land near Ormiston, at their disposal.
Collins revealed his squad
were stunned at the facilities on offer when they enjoyed a sneak preview of the landmark development where they will now be based, with Easter Road used only on match days.
Today's opening, attended by club owner Sir Tom Farmer, chairman Rod Petrie, Collins, his assistant Tommy Craig and captain Rob Jones among others, marks the end of years of searching for a dedicated training base. It also brings an end to training on public parks with players down through the years being forced to drive around Edinburgh in search of suitable pitches in inclement weather.
Instead, Collins' stars will now have the use of five full-size grass pitches and a floodlight outdoor FIFA Two Star synthetic pitch along with an indoor artificial surfaced training "barn."
Within the centre, a former milk processing unit which extends to 2700 square metres, and which is wholly owned by Hibs, are the latest changing, medical and sports science facilities.
Also inside are a players' lounge where the stars can rest and recover between training sessions, a coaches' lounge, gym, hydrotherapy pool and steam room, a kitchen and dining room, a kit room and laundry, a video editing suite, a conference room and three further meeting rooms.
Hibs first unveiled their plans to create the training centre in May of last year when Tony Mowbray was manager, the plan at that time to develop the site in phases. But the multi-million pound windfalls received from the sale of Kevin Thomson, Scott Brown and Steven Whittaker allowed the club to commit fully to East Mains while, at the same time slashing debt even further. Collins revealed on succeeding Mowbray the project had helped convince him to become Hibs manager as he recalled his own memories of the restricted facilities on offer when he played for the club.
The former Scotland star, who has also claimed East Mains at least rivals the training centres he enjoyed as a player with English Premiership outfits Everton and Fulham, has been a frequent visitor to the centre, taking a close interest in the development since work began on levelling the pitches back in March. Now, rather than wasting time dragging his players around the Capital, Collins is looking forward to making full use of the centre where his stars can train in the morning before eating, relaxing and resting ahead of further work in the afternoon whether it be another training session, in the gym or taking part in team meetings preparing for upcoming matches with the help of video analysis.
Collins said today: "I've been closely involved in the development of our new training facility and it has been a delight to visit throughout and to see it gradually transformed into one of the very best facilities of its kind available to any club in the United Kingdom. The facilities we now have at our disposal provide us with the best possible surroundings to prepare for games. Every single detail has been attended to, the coaching, fitness, medical and social facilities both indoor and outdoor will help us prepare this and future generations of professional footballers.
"There is not a football manager in the world who would not be very proud to have such facilities at their disposal."
Attention to detail includes 125 pop-up sprinklers and nine miles of drainage to ensure the pitches can be maintained to the highest quality standards throughout the year while a mile-long synthetic jogging trail follows a route around the edge of the site and two grass endurance hills have been incorporated into it. Inside the first-team changing room has personalised lockers for up to 30 players. There are also dedicated changing areas for coaching staff, the under-19 players and match officials. Four further dressing rooms have been provided to accommodate visiting or academy teams.
The gym has been fitted out with the latest in strength and conditioning equipment including spinning bikes, specials strength equipment, a high performance treadmill, a cross trainer and full range of Olympic-style free weights.
Club physio Colin McLelland said: "The demands of our modern game are such that the very best medical facilities are required if we are to quickly restore players to where they are needed most – on the field of play.
"Our new training facilities provide Hibs with the very best available anywhere. We now have an environment in which we can work together with coaches and players to provide the best service possible, and I'm sure we will all quickly see the benefits of this."
And to keep the new centre spick and span, players will be banned from entering it with their boots on – external washing units have been installed to allow them to clean their boots before going in. Both Mowbray and Collins promised they'd have difficulty pulling the players off the training ground once Hibs took possession of it, the latter describing how he watched their eyes open wide in surprise and delight at the stunning standard of their new day-to-day home. Skipper Jones summed up the players' reaction saying: "Even in the relatively short time I've been with Hibs, I've seen quite a few changes at the club but this new facility tops everything.
"We now have a centre where we know we can work no matter the weather, and that is important here in Scotland.
"It is a place where we can not only work hard with the best facilities to hand, but where we can relax between games away from the pressures and distractions that can come from being at the stadium every day.
"Our physio and medical staff already provide a fantastic level of service, but they will now be able to do even more with the modern facilities they have at their disposal.
"All in all, the opening of the training centre is a massive day for Hibernian Football Club and we are all proud to be here at the beginning."
