EPL side Southampton opened its doors to a £40M ($63.4M) training facility on Wednesday, yet its "main hope is that the scented massage rooms, bacteria-killing washing machines and ‘Black Box’ can, at the very least, match the talent-reaping brilliance" achieved in the "portacabins" of its past, according to Riath Al-Samarrai of the London DAILY MAIL. Southampton's new training facility has been "named after former owner Markus Liebherr." There are nine training pitches, ranging from the 60x40-yard surface used by the U8s to the one "next to the pavilion that uses the same type of turf and matches the dimensions" of the St. Mary's pitch. Southampton Technical Dir Martin Hunter said, "Everything here is about progression. The eight-year-olds want to get from that pitch to this one, right next to the pavilion. They start in small football, one v. one, two v. two. Concentrate on the game not the system." Cameras are next to the pitches -- "nine to be precise, with another 16 cameras on the way." EPL Head of Recruitment Paul Mitchell said, "We want to have every view that might make us better." The footage from those cameras is "studied live by eight analysts, with a dedicated analyst" for each of the U18 and U21 squads. Southampton's latest tool is called the "Black Box." It is a two-tiered "windowless room next to the analysis suite, with a huge touchscreen and viewing gallery." Mitchell: "It is our own software. I won't tell you how much it cost because I'd rather other clubs did not know" (DAILY MAIL, 11/6).
