Liverpool's stunning new £50m training ground in Kirkby will be called the AXA Training Centre after the Reds left Melwood for the final time.
The Reds are set to finally leave their iconic training ground in West Derby and move into the state-of-the-art facility during the November international break now the new facility has been completed following the slight delay caused the coronavirus pandemic.
Jurgen Klopp has always been keen to unite the first team with the club's age groups and Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group backed their manager by beginning work next to their Academy grounds in 2017.
And with the move now imminent, the club have announced an expansion of their partnership with AXA which includes the naming rights of the new training centre in Kirkby.
The renewed agreement with the multinational insurance firm will see AXA extend its original training kit relationship to a more holistic one focused on training as a whole as it becomes the club's official training partner, incorporating all LFC training gear.
The new 9,200sqm AXA Training Centre boasts three full-size pitches, goalkeeping and warm-up areas, and indoor facilities including two gyms, a full-size sports hall, pool, hydrotherapy complex and specialist sports rehabilitation suites.
*View a picture gallery of how the Kirkby training centre looks here
Billy Hogan, Liverpool FC’s chief executive officer, said of the new deal: “The expansion of AXA’s partnership to include the naming rights of the club’s new Training Centre makes perfect sense.
“We have already seen their emphasis on driving health, wellbeing, confidence and self-belief, and so deepening their relationship in the field of training makes this partnership a great fit.
“We’re pleased to have AXA on board as we start this new chapter at the club and are proud to expand our relationship with a brand that shares our common values and aspirations both on and off the pitch.”
Thomas Buberl, chief executive officer of AXA, said: “We are extremely excited and proud by this landmark step in our partnership with Liverpool Football Club.
“The AXA Training Centre is a world-class facility that will forge a pathway of improvement, progress and success throughout the club’s first team and development squads. This culture and belief truly complement our values of helping people to go further through our tagline: ‘Know You Can’.”
Back in 2018, Billy Hogan admitted the club would consider naming rights once the facility was completed.
He said: “For the right partner, if it makes sense, then that's something we'll certainly look at.
“There are wider opportunities around the new training ground which we'll look at.
"If it's not a headline naming rights then more subtle relationships could make more sense within a training ground environment.”
