As the Red Bulls prepare for the second half of the season, they’ll do so with a nice, new upgrade.
The club held its first session at the fresh training facilities in Hanover 89739478" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0; " tabindex="0">Tuesday afternoon, as the team looks to get back to business for Sunday’s road match against the Philadelphia Union. To say the anticipation was growing for this day would be an understatement.
“I made sure I was there early to be the first person to pass the ball on the field and it’s incredible,” said Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke. “You know, I could relate it to moving from Giants Stadium to Red Bull Arena, the feeling I had, being a part of this organization for so long and wondering if it would ever really happen.”
Well, it happened.
The new Red Bull Training Facility, perched on 15 acres of land, provides a state-of-the-art atmosphere that rivals that of many European clubs. The four-building, over 20 room lay out includes a full gym, personnel offices, training room, cafeteria, and media work room. In addition to the first team’s locker room, the facility also houses two coaches locker rooms, an secondary locker room and additional one for coaches.
As for playing surfaces, the Red Bulls now have two grass fields (one of which is heated) and one turf pitch at their disposal during training sessions, as opposed to just one grass and one turf at the former training grounds.
“The facility that Red Bull has given us is unbelievable,” said Petke during a conference call with members of the media 89739479" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0; " tabindex="0">Tuesday afternoon. “It’s already lifted the spirits a ton, the excitement level is already high and the guys are anxious to get out there today and knock the ball around.”
Since 2007, the team has trained at Montclair State University, as serviceable option for fitness and training, but the limitations were somewhat hindering coaches from executing more fluid, full-field drills.
Petke suggested the significant upgrade at the new facility leaves the team with more familiar ground to work with.
“I mean the size of the facility, the space they have, what we’ve included as far as weight training room, the physio room, the full cafeteria, the lounge area…and then we’re not even getting to the most important part, which are the two full size grass fields that are the exact dimensions of Red Bull Arena and the grass is like a putting green,” Petke said.
New York returns to action 89739480" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0; " tabindex="0">Sunday when the club visits PPL Park for a 89739481" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0; " tabindex="0">5:00 PM kick off against the Philadelphia Union. If you’re not taking the trip down the NJ Turnpike to take this one in, then you definitely don’t want to miss our outdoor viewing party in Hoboken. Full details for that event are located on our Facebook page.
On June 30, the Red Bulls return home for the first time in over a month when they host the Houston Dynamo in the first ever Red Bulls Red Out. All fans in attendance will receive a free T-shirt upon entry, with many sizes to choose from. Get your tickets now at Red Bulls Ticket Central, or by calling 877.RB.SOCCER.
