Kirsha training centre is part of the department of sports facilities of FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

Established in 1953.
Reconstructed in 1999.

Construction of the main building at STB Kirsha was launched in December 1998 and completed in 12 months - in December 1999. The prime contractor was Embrol-Ukraina Ltd. 19 more companies were involved in the project.

The total floor area of STB Kirsha’s main building is 4,368 sq. metres. The entire facility covers the area of over 43 ha, including the pond (10.5 ha).

The residential building for the reserves and Shakhtar-3 was opened in December 2001. While the construction of the Football Academy building and of the indoor pitch was completed not so long ago – in December 2008.

HISTORY OF FC SHAKHTAR’S TRAINING CENTRE IN KIRSHA SETTLEMENT

Early in the 20th century, small coal mines and numerous pits were scattered around Yuzovka settlement. A large iron & steel mill was located in the middle. Uspenovskiy, Pastukhovskiy and Rutchenkovskiy pits stretched out some four-five kilometres to the south of Yuzovka. With the villages of Grigoryevka, Avdotyino and Nesterovka lying just a little aside. The chimneys of the ironmaking plant founded by German metallurgist Bosse clearly stood out against the local scenery. Endless steppes stretched far beyond the plant...

The lands of a little known landowner Kirsha, who had settled near the south bounds of the city, ran behind the pits. Kirsha was not of noble origin, but he will always be a part of the history of our native land. Today, we have FC Shakhtar Donetsk’s Kirsha Training Centre just where the estate of the landowner was located.

The Pitmen’s training facility was initiated in the early 1950s. It rose in place of miners’ abandoned huts that had used to belong to the local mines. The players used wooden structures as a resting site. A cinder pitch lay right next to it. A special team bus brought the footballers to the centre.

In the 1960s, construction of the training facility and renovation of Shakhtar Stadium were priorities in terms of the club infrastructure development. In the 1961 annual report, the year of the team’s USSR Cup triumph, Oleg Oshenkov, former FC Shakhtar manager, outlined the goals for the following year. “Completing Kirsha Training Centre and setting up a steam-bath house for 6-8 people there” was one of the main targets.

Enlarging and improving the training facilities were among the key tasks for the team’s senior management. Already in the mid-70s FC Shakhtar Training Centre in Kirsha settlement turned into one of the best in the USSR.

In 1990, construction of the new complex kicked off. The Club planned to hand over the old building to its youth sports school. However, having spent only 400,000 roubles, the construction companies stopped the project. In the mid 90s, the Club’s infrastructure gained new momentum. Rinat Akhmetov became president of FC Shakhtar. He initiated construction of the new training centre that would meet the most recent
requirements to football facilities.
Ivan D. Rodichkin, Chancellor of the International Academy of Landscape and Architecture (Kyiv), ran the project to landscape Kirsha Training Centre and plant greenery there. British architect Robin Williams designed the landscaping around the buildings intended for the reserves and Shakhtar-3. Interestingly, the project preserved adult trees and shrubs. Later, basic service and transport roads were constructed taking into account the location of those trees and shrubs.

Today, Kirsha Training Centre is literally buried in verdure. Around 4,500 trees and almost 3,000 shrubs grow there. Among other attractions, the facility boasts a fountain in front of the central facade of the main building. The fountain is a three-metre wide basin made of a solid piece of marble.

FC Shakhtar Training Centre is also famous for its white and black swans farm and a pigeon-house, which have been there since the mid 70s.

KIRSHA TRAINING CENTRE OF FC SHAKHTAR

The first team residence comprises three units. Unit A features rooms for footballers; unit B consists of a central hall, a restaurant, a kitchen and medical treatment rooms; unit C includes SPA facilities, rooms for coaches, a study room and the main medical room. On the fourth floor you will find a gymnasium and playrooms (billiards, table tennis, draughts and chess), complemented by the mental relaxation atrium called the Italian Courtyard. The main building houses 16 comfortable double rooms for team players and 9 rooms for coaches.

The medical and rehabilitation unit is the pride of Kirsha. Each building has an individual medical room. Four main medical units are established for the first team:
- diagnostics unit (for preliminary and interim injury assessment, as well as for annual and pre-contract medicals);
- physiology unit ( to check oxygen consumption and heart activity);
- therapy unit ( for treating injuries, daily check-ups and taping);
- physiotherapy unit (for recovery after injuries and transition to physical activity).

The first floor features a dry massage room, two saunas, a swimming pool, hydro massage baths and treatment room. The gym is located on the top, fourth floor. The club’s medical staff can access a regularly updated library on sports medicine.

Once, Viktor Prokopenko, FC Shakhtar manager back in 1999-2001, called the theory session room “the heart of the training centre” and “the dormitory for footballers”. The room is fitted with all necessary facilities for detailed match analysis. All coaches and footballers make an efficient use of it.

The restaurant serves international cuisine based on a variety of original recipes, which is down to the team’s multinational squad.

The Italian Courtyard is a cosy atrium with a winter garden on the top floor, which hospitably welcomes both footballers after games and training sessions, and the guests of Kirsha. Here you can linger over a cup of flavourful coffee in the bar near a purling fountain or watch a football match on TV. Next to it, there are a billiards room, a tennis ground, the parlour for playing chess and draughts.

The building for the reserves, Shakhtar-3 and Shakhtar U-19 is a smaller copy of the main building. Its floor area is about 2,300 sq. metres. It also features all necessary facilities for education and training, including a huge two-level swimming pool of 90 m3 (also used by the Football Academy), theory rooms, two saunas, gymnasiums, billiards and tennis rooms, as well as a cinema hall and IT premises.

This training centre houses 32 rooms for footballers and 6 rooms for coaches. A therapy unit is fitted with the facilities to treat injuries, while proprioception area is intended for neuromuscular activity.

The swimming pool on the first floor is open for all club players.

The Football Academy admits young footballers aged 8 and up. A well-developed chain of the Academy branches allows to try and select the most talented boys from all over Ukraine. Starting from the age of 14, the boys from other cities and towns come to live and train at Kirsha Training Centre. The Academy has 22 double rooms, four triple rooms, one room for six people and two single rooms with modern furniture and amenities. Everything is just at hand: medical rooms, a canteen, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, Internet access, TV etc.

The lads of U-14, U-15, U-16 and U-17 train on the pitches of Kirsha.

Annually, Kirsha Training Centre hosts the International Youth Tournament commemorating former FC Shakhtar president Oleksandr Bragin. The tournament gathers teams from Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Italy, Spain, England, Scotland, the Netherlands and other countries.

Kirsha centre has nine full-size pitches: eight natural and one artificial. Four fields are equipped with an undersoil heating system (including one artificial), nine pitches have automated irrigation systems. They all have lighting for evening trainings. One pitch is certified to host matches for the reserves and the Ukrainian League Two. In terms of technical facilities, all fields meet match and training standards.

FC Shakhtar first team uses three pitches with undersoil heating and automated irrigation. The Academy trains on four pitches. Another one is used by the reserves. The ninth pitch with artificial grass is used in winter.

Besides, they have an indoor pitch of 40х60 metres. It is equipped with the most recent lighting and heating, plus technical ventilation. The maximum height of the structure is 13 metres.