Fabio Capello opens football centre in Harrow

Known as The Hive, the £11m site will be a major sporting hub in the borough, enabling many more local people to play regular football while hosting Barnet Football Club's first team squad. The youth development setup and Centre of Excellence on the site will complement the school and community training programmes which will be available to all residents of the borough.

The Hive based at Prince Edwards Playing Fields in Edgware. includes world-class training facilities, 14 dressing rooms, two full-size floodlit Astroturf pitches and ten grass pitches, a fully equipped physio's room plus laundry, office area, meeting room, large reception and cafeteria.

Harrow Council contributed £750,000 to the project and the borough's portfolio holder for planning, development and enterprise, Cllr Marilyn Ashton, said: "This is a first-class development which we're happy to be a part of as these new facilities will pave the way to cultivating future football talent in a fantastic setting.

""We are a footballing nation and with the World Cup in site the game is growing increasingly popular. I am pleased that Harrow now has the facility to produce the footballing stars of the future as good sporting facilities are one of the ways we can help to build stronger communities.

"This is a world class facility and I am hopeful that future David Beckhams and Theo Walcotts will get their start in the game by training in Harrow.

Barnet chairman, Anthony Kleanthous, has vowed that the new facility will throw its doors open to the local community as well.

"This country has some of the best football facilities in the world but unless you're at the academy of a Premier League club then you've got no chance of using it.

"The Hive is worthy of the Premier League and we look forward to welcoming local adult, youth and women's football clubs in the future."