Mercy Health Training Center
Milford, Ohio
The Mercy Health Training Center is one of North America’s premier soccer training centers. Construction began on the facility in August of 2018 at which time FC Cincinnati announced Mercy Health as the naming rights partner for the complex.
Designed by MSA Sport, the $30 million, 24-acre facility will include three full-size, lighted soccer fields – including two stabilized natural grass surfaces and one synthetic turf surface – as well as a goalkeeper-specific training area.
The MLS team will be housed in a 30,000 sq. ft., multilevel building abutting the fields, while the FCC Academy teams will utilize a separate 4,000 sq. ft. wing of the building. Additionally, there will be a 3,000 sq. ft. maintenance facility on the property.
The organization and layout of the first-team facility is designed to encourage selective interaction between Academy players and professionals and to serve as an inspiration for the youth players as they aspire to earn a place on the FC Cincinnati first team.
Some key features designed into the Mercy Health Training Center that will enhance and enrich FC Cincinnati’s players’ experience include:
- First-team locker room featuring large-height ceilings and natural light
- Full-service, on-site kitchen and dining room with direct pitch-side access
- Player lounge and support facilities including an on-site barber shop
- State-of-the-art sports performance areas including a full-service athletic training suite, a double-height fitness facility, hot/cold hydrotherapy plunge pools
- Soccer operations and administrative offices to support the first team and FCC Academy teams
- Second-floor balcony and lounge area that overlooks the training pitches
- Four Academy locker rooms and Academy-specific athletic training area
- Expansive equipment area, including storage, cleaning and maintenance spaces
- Meeting and conference spaces, as well as a media production studio and media work areas
The site’s master plan also calls for a 500-seat covered stadium to host scrimmages and FCC Academy games. When constructed, it will also be used to support the regional youth soccer movement.
The Mercy Health Training Center will be used by the first team beginning in January 2019, with the MLS side utilizing temporary facilities on-site – custom built for the club – before the expected full completion of the first-team building in the late summer of 2019.
The design of the Mercy Health Training Center was inspired by the mission and values of FC Cincinnati – winning team, family-friendly and community-minded – and reflects a progressive, environmentally sustainable, modern aesthetic reflective of the rise of the sport of soccer in America.
In the design process, the MSA Sport design team benchmarked training grounds across the world, including the best in Europe, South America and Asia. The goal of the design meets the original goal to develop one of the premier and most progressive team facilities in Major League Soccer and North America.