London City nod for new training complex

Image: London City Lionesses

English Women’s Super League (WSL) football team London City Lionesses’ have won planning permission for their Cobdown Park Performance Campus in Ditton, Kent.

The Lionesses said the approved plans will champion the growth of the women’s and girls’ game by including an improved Academy, a community 3G pitch and will allow for expanded school and club programmes.

The new Performance Campus will rival that of a Men’s Premier League team and be built to specifically meet the needs of women.

The green light for the project is set to transform Cobdown Park into one of the most advanced women’s football training campuses in the world – a dedicated home for London City and a facility which puts Kent on the map as a champion of women’s football globally.

London City Lionesses are a professional women’s association football club based in Bromley, England.

Image: London City Lionesses

The team competes in the Women’s Super League, the first tier of English women’s football. The club was founded in May 2019, as an independent breakaway club from Millwall Lionesses.

The Lionesses play at Hayes Lane stadium, currently known as the Copperjax Community Stadium for sponsorship reasons. It is also the home of Bromley Football Club.

The current capacity of the ground is 5,000, of which 1,300 is seated and 2,500 covered.

The training complex investment, driven by Chair and Owner Michele Kang, represents a hugely exciting moment for the Club.

Image: London City Lionesses

 
The approved plans will see the Club’s existing facilities significantly upgraded and transformed through:

• The construction of a new Performance Campus building with state-of-the-art facilities for both the first team and Academy, designed to remove barriers for women and with a focus on performance, recovery and wellbeing.
• A hugely improved Academy building, with access to a new high-quality 3G football pitch. This would also be made available to the community for local Kent FA initiatives, the Kent Girls and Ladies League and for local SEND schools and the Kent disability mixed league.
• A refurbished Cobdown Park Pavillion to provide modern changing, kitchen and meeting facilities.

 
The Campus will create over 50 new permanent jobs across the Club’s operations and generate circa £1 million ($1.33 million) per year of investment in the local economy.

The Lionesses further stated that importantly, it will play a significant role in growing the girls’ game in Kent, providing new pathways for U12-U21 and enabling better outreach to schools, grassroots clubs, aspiring female coaches and referees.

Michele Kang said: “I extend my sincere thanks to Councillors for endorsing our vision to provide women and girls with the leading performance campus in the world.

“This facility will remove the barriers that have long held women back in sport and ensure the next generation of girls have the environment they need to thrive.”

Martin Semmens, CEO of London City Lionesses, added: “This is more than just a planning decision – it’s a game-changing moment for women’s football. The facilities we will create here will set the gold standard.

“They will be comparable to a men’s Premier League team, specifically designed to meet the needs of our female athletes. I’m delighted and proud that Tonbridge and Malling Council support our vision and look forward to creating a new home for professional women’s football here in Kent in the months ahead.”

The club said it will continue to liaise closely with the local council and local community and looks forward to breaking ground in 2026, with an ambition to complete the facility in 2027.

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