| Date: Sunday, 15 October Venue: Anfield Stadium Kick-off: 16:30 BST |
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When manager Matt Beard returned to Liverpool in May 2021, he had one main request from the club – a world-class training facility for his players.
Beard saw that as the key to success in the Women’s Super League, something Liverpool enjoyed during his first spell at the club when he led them to back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014.
They had fallen far from those heights. When Liverpool were relegated from the WSL in 2020, it led to widespread criticism of the club and their perceived lack of investment in the women’s team.
But they have started to turn things around since Beard came back – winning promotion to the WSL, securing a mid-table spot in their first season and making strides off the pitch having moved into refurbished facilities at Melwood.
The training ground, a historic site that used to be home to the men’s first team, was bought back from an affordable housing developer and former players Jamie Carragher and Robbie Fowler, and is now in daily use by the women’s team and the girls’ academy.
“It is early days but the facility is fantastic,” said Beard, following last Sunday’s victory over Aston Villa.
“The nutrition and recovery stuff are second to none. That helps from a preparation point of view. We are very lucky.”
‘Melwood is game-changing for us’
Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan joined directors Susan Black and Mike Gordon on the board overseeing the women’s team in September 2020 and has played a key role in buying back Melwood.
He officially opened doors to Melwood for the women this summer, describing it as “fate” that Liverpool should return to a site which has provided them so much success in their men’s team’s history.
“This is a new chapter for the club as the women return to a truly world-class facility,” he said, before adding to manager Beard: “I would like to officially welcome you home.”
Beard hopes it will prove a turning point for his team as they attempt to climb up the WSL table and return to the heights they once enjoyed.
There is a long way to go – Chelsea have had a stranglehold on English football during Emma Hayes’ tenure, while Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United have established a formidable and impenetrable top four.
Elsewhere, Brighton and Leicester City have newly built facilities for their women’s teams, while Tottenham are in the process of expanding theirs.
It is starting to become the bare minimum for teams hoping to have success in the WSL but with Liverpool already showing growth on the pitch, their move to Melwood could boost their progress even more.
“It makes such a difference for so many different reasons,” said Beard. “[Training at] Tranmere Rovers was a short-term solution. The club worked really hard to get a training ground and it’s amazing it went full circle and ended up being Melwood.
“It’s game-changing for us. Now we have two fantastic pitches and everything the girls need from nutrition to recovery. Everything is there for us.
“If you look at Melwood – the players who played for Liverpool; the managers who managed Liverpool and the great history – [the women] can now create their own history. It really gives us the platform to be successful.”
‘It takes time to build things’
Included in the facilities are two full-size training pitches, a goalkeepers’ training area, one pitch for the academy teams, an indoor centre which is shared with the Fowler Foundation, a rehabilitation centre and a gym.
There is also recovery equipment such as ice baths and splash pools, while the canteen and homegrown plant allotments provide fresh nutrition for the players.
The site, which cost nearly £13m in total, is a huge upgrade on their previous facilities at Solar Campus, where they shared office areas with Tranmere Rovers’ staff and had to wait their turn for use of the main full-sized pitch and the gym.
So does this finally show Liverpool’s full commitment to its women’s team?
“Yeah, but I’ve always been supported by them,” said Beard. “At no point have I not felt the club haven’t taken it seriously. This investment shows that they do though.
“Like anything, football is a business. Some clubs can spend a lot of money and some clubs can’t. This is a really exciting project. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to come back. It takes time to build things.”
Liverpool have trained at Melwood this week as usual in preparation for Sunday’s Merseyside derby at Anfield.
They are seeking a third successive win in the WSL having shocked last season’s Champions League semi-finalists at Emirates Stadium on the opening day of the campaign, followed by an impressive win over Aston Villa, who finished fifth in 2022-23.
It is just two games into a 22-game season but Liverpool seem to have everything in place off the pitch to progress – and so far they are performing on it.
