Melbourne City defender Alex Wilkinson says the facilities at Bundoora are miles ahead of what clubs in Asia have at their disposal.
The 31-year-old arrived at Melbourne City in January, previously at South Korean club Jeonbuk Motors for four years. Before that he saw a brief stint with Chinese side Jiangsu Suning, while also leading the Central Coast Mariners for seven years.
There has been a big transition for City over the years, as well as a name change, they now have their own private training ground and academy. Beforehand, training varied from having preparations at Epping and Bundoora during the week.
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When Wilkinson set foot at CFA (City Football Academy), he said it was an easy decision because of how advanced they were, comparatively to what he saw in the K-League, which was still chasing.
“It’s really about creating a no excuse environment. The players have everything they need here and it gives them every chance to perform on match day,” Wilkinson said.
“A lot of other clubs in South Korea and in Asia in general don’t have anything near with what they have here. It’s fantastic, perfect pitches, great setups for your time off the pitch.
“It’s first class, been really impressed. Before I came here I spoke to a couple of the boys and the coaching staff and they all reiterated how good the setup is here.
“To see it now is brilliant, I was quite lucky in South Korea, Jeonbuk had a similar setup.”
Wilkinson also believes the resources can help spur him back into the national team.
“It gives you the environment to perform at your best and that always helps,” he said.
“If you play well and perform at your best you’re always going to have a chance to get selected in the Socceroos.”
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