The sheikhs of Abu Dhabi invest in Palermo’s new sports centre

While they are fighting to reach Serie A, Palermo (which today faces Sampdoria at home in a match to consolidate the play-off zone) is already looking to the future and for the first time in over 120 years of history it has equipped itself with a state-of-the-art sports center.

The City Football Academy of the Rosanero club was built in the hills of Torretta, regarding 20 kilometers from the city and a few minutes from the Falcone and Borsellino airport, in an area of ​​almost five hectares which for over three centuries has been used for cultivation of olive trees.

The structure was created according to the dictates of the City Football Group (Cfg), the corporate group headed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, of which the rosanero club has been part since July 2022.

The ownership of the United Arab Emirates, which has expanded from European and world champions Manchester City to a dozen clubs present on all continents and various partnerships, has already created its own Academies in England, New York and Melbourne and in Montevideo. Palermo FC’s sports center is the fifth, while another six will be built in the coming years.

All City Football Group sports infrastructure is built to a high standard to allow clubs to share best training practices and the latest technologies and innovations. The global project of the Emirati ownership was created to guarantee the highest performances of players and staff, the shared application of successful training methodologies, as well as the economic sustainability of the structure and a positive impact on the territory in terms of regeneration of the areas involved and the creation of jobs for the local community.