Personalised chopsticks and underwater treadmills: Manchester City Women find new ways to win

Captain Alex Greenwood said ‘nothing comes close’ to club’s £10m facility built specifically for women’s team

Whether it is the chopsticks in the canteen with individually engraved names on for Manchester City’s Japanese players, the bespoke pineapple and mango recovery shakes made for Khadija “Bunny” Shaw to satisfy her taste buds or the underwater treadmill allowing players to watch Sky Sports News while in the recovery pool, it is not difficult to understand why the squad say they love their new women’s team headquarters.

The £10m state-of-the-art building, designed for the first team at the City Football Academy adjacent to their Joie Stadium home ground, has everything from hamstring strength testing kit in the gym to a barista-style coffee machine in the canteen, all aimed at maximising performance for female athletes. Along one corridor is printed: “We will find a way to win …” – a mantra repeated by the head coach, Andrée Jeglertz, regularly this season. They hope this facility will help make winning a habit.

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