The team of the English Premier League, Norwich City FC, ranked in the middle of the table, chose the town of Nerja to continue their preparation in the Premier League and their next match against bottom of the league Wigan on Saturday, which will be broadcast on Sky Sports from four in the afternoon.
The team’s coach, Paul Lambert, who counts amongst his successes winning the Champions League in 1997 when he managed Borussia Dortmund and beat Juventus 3 – 1 in the final. In the ranks of the English team figures the Spaniard Daniel Ayala, who has played for Valencia and Liverpool.
The team was very satisfied with the sports facilities provided but the Nerja sports ground had to adapt to certain tastes and needs. The grass had to be cut as the northern European teams prefer shorter grass than those in the south of the continent.
The team, which will be in Nerja until Thursday, is staying at the Hotel Nerja Club, opposite the sports facilities, which today received a delegation headed by the Municipal Councilor for Sports and Tourism, José Alberto Tomé and Bernardo Pozuelo. Tome has welcomed the presence in Nerja of this team and after discussions, “is likely to visit Nerja next season without ruling out the possibility that other clubs in the Premier League also may come,” said the council member. In addition to the excellent facilities, “the British have also stressed the treatment received by the facility staff, stating they felt at home,” said the Council member for Sports.
Councilor for Tourism, Bernardo Pozuelo, stressed the importance of Nerja, “not only from a tourist point of view, but also from a sporting viewpoint, hosting elite teams such as Norwich City FC puts Nerja in the Premiership spotlight.”
The reason for the team’s presence in Nerja is Jeff Wood, the goalkeeping coach, who lived in the town for eight years. In addition to the facilities and the treatment received, the technician pointed out the weather and the value for money compared to other destinations in southern Europe where the team has trained in previous years.
Team members received some souvenirs of Nerja whilst the town hall was presented with an autographed shirt.
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