LFC Women'Melwood means so much to us, it's one of the best facilities in the world'
Gemma Bonner believes having the AXA Melwood Training Centre as the new base for Liverpool FC Women will be the envy of many teams throughout the world.
Matt Beard’s side made the move to the iconic location in West Derby earlier this month, and the facility was officially opened on Friday ahead of the start of the new Barclays Women’s Super League season.
Liverpoolfc.com caught up with Reds defender Bonner to hear why the chance to make Melwood home is so special for the squad…
On what Melwood means to her…
It’s a special feeling to be here. Melwood has such amazing history. I’ve been at the club from quite early on in my first spell and to see the changes and to be finally able to call Melwood home, I still can’t believe I’m saying it because it’s been a long time coming. It’s amazing to come into the changing room and seeing our names above our lockers, it’s a special feeling and one that we are all super-proud to be here.
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On the joy on the faces of the new signings after seeing Melwood for the first time…
We had a few comments like ‘this is amazing’ and ‘we are so lucky’, and for me it makes me so proud that they come in and see it. Playing for Liverpool means so much for me, so for them to hear about the history of the site and seeing it, this is a special place.
On a chance for LFC Women to create their own Melwood history…
It is. We have been wanting a top-class facility for so long and we’ve finally got it. I think the game has grown so much and for us as a team we want to be successful – it’s part of the Liverpool DNA. That is winning games, winning trophies and being successful. We now have unbelievable pitches out there to train on, we’ve got all the recovery stuff we need for us as players to go out and perform as best we can. We’ve got no excuses now that we are here and it’s up to us to go and really make the most of it.
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Watch on YouTubeOn Melwood being such a special place to come in to work…
Oh for sure! I got goosebumps just walking through the door. Seeing all the players’ faces up on the walls brings an extra-special feel to it. I remember coming to Melwood when the men were here and using the facility, so it brought back a few memories. For it now to be just the women’s team I think that’s absolutely huge and ground-breaking, not just for us as a club but I think it’s probably one of the best facilities in women’s football in the world.
This is our home, it’s an incredible place and we will be doing everything we can to make sure there is more history made here. For the club to invest so much and really back the women’s team, we are very grateful. I know there have been things said in the past but for the club to make this statement I think it’s a pretty huge one. We are incredibly thankful and it’s now up to us to make the most of it.