PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Palm Beach Gardens became more than a spectator in this year's World Cup — the city is serving as a training base for some of the tournament's biggest teams, including Portugal and England.
WATCH BELOW: 'Over the last several years, this facility has earned quite a reputation,' Sports and Special Facilities Director Tim Ford says
Gardens District Park, the city's premier soccer facility, was selected as a base camp after years of building a reputation among elite soccer organizations.
"Over the last several years, this facility has earned quite a reputation," Sports and Special Facilities Director Tim Ford said.
Ford said the fields were completed in 2019 and quickly drew national attention. The U.S. Soccer Federation began using the site in 2020 and has since hosted dozens of national youth team training camps. This year, seven Major League Soccer teams used it as a training site.
Word spread internationally after Real Madrid used the facility last year. Portugal then selected it as a base camp for this year's World Cup, and England will also stop by to acclimate to the weather as it prepares for some pre-tournament matches in Florida.
Once the last flag football game wrapped up at Gardens District Park in early May, the city's agronomy team got to work preparing the fields for Portugal's arrival.
Director of Agronomy Andrew Keller said much of the maintenance leading up to the World Cup mirrors what the team does year-round — but when the world's best players are on the pitch, he stays in constant contact with the teams.
"They prefer the field to have a little bit of moisture on them so the ball plays a little quicker. For these higher end organizations, they want to play as fast as they can. So I coordinate with them on what field they plan on using first so I can get some water down on them and get the grass prepared," Keller said.
"These fields we provide year round for everybody are good enough for any team basically in the entire world," Keller said.
The city also made physical upgrades to the site. Crews brought in soil to help the fields withstand South Florida's rainy weather, and temporary structures were erected — including a 20,000-square-foot building with a full gym, recovery room, and meeting rooms.
"We brought in a lot of soil where the fields could withstand the weather, the rainy weather," Deputy Community Services Administrator of Operations Cory Wilder said. "We wanted to build a place that would yield itself to a lot of playability."
City leaders emphasized that the cost of hosting these elite teams does not fall on taxpayers. The teams pay to rent the space, and that revenue is reinvested into the community.
"Actually goes to fund a lot of the recreation facilities and programs that may have zero or nominal fees," Deputy Leisure Services Administrator Daniel Prieto said.
It's also important to note that security will be tight around that part of the park, and the training camps will be closed to the public.
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