When Arsène Wenger joined Arsenal in October 1996, he attempted to organise an extra training session at University College London Union (UCLU) Sports Grounds in Shenley, for the benefit of getting to know his players.

[1] Wenger was told that the ground – owned by UCL, was reserved for its students, which left him not knowing “whether to laugh or cry”.

[3] Wenger, dismayed by the arrangement, campaigned for a purpose-built, Arsenal-owned ground that housed the latest training equipment.

"[4] By February 1998, Hertsmere Borough Council had granted consent for Arsenal to build a training centre on greenfield land, adjacent to a local school, in the Bell Lane area, London Colney.

[5] It is situated adjacent to the former facilities at the Shenley UCLU Sports Grounds, which is now used by Watford Football Club as its training centre.

[6] They concluded it was “essential to support the training facility”, that it would replace an existing building used by the club and that Arsenal's community work “constituted exceptional circumstances”.

[8] Wenger was "heavily involved" in the process – “even down to the kitchens” and shared ideas from his time as Nagoya Grampus manager, when the club itself was building its own training centre.

[8][9] As part of a fact-finding mission, club representatives visited other training facilities around Europe, such as Bayern Munich and Auxerre.

[9] Chairman Peter Hill-Wood described it as “simply superb”, while Wenger felt it acted as a "big attraction" for players to come to Arsenal.

[15] Plans to develop new buildings and road links to the site were challenged by residents four years later; they believed it would lead to increased traffic and noise pollution in the area.

[22] According to desk research, youth team opportunities was a main reason the club obtained planning permission for the centre.

"[22] The England national football team frequently trained at the ground when preparing for games in London; the agreement with Arsenal began in March 2003.

[24] Arsenal's training ground was used by the national team in November 2013, for the friendlies against Chile and Germany after St George's Park reported a stomach bug.