England’s players and staff are set for an incredible time when they arrive at their base camp for Euro 2024 this week.
The Golfresort Weimarer Land, situated near Leipzig in East Germany, has been picked for Gareth Southgate‘s men, and it’s incredible.
England will ramp up their Euro 2024 preparations on Monday by flying to Germany, before travelling to a remote part of the countryside for their base.
The spa and golf resort is situated around 220 miles from Gelsenkirchen, where they get their campaign underway against Serbia this Sunday, live on talkSPORT.
England’s other matches are set to be played in Frankfurt and Cologne, which are roughly 170 and 240 miles from the base camp, making it a decent location for the Three Lions.
Weimarer Land is a five-star resort and has everything Southgate and his team could need to prepare and relax.
The luxury 94 room retreat boasts two full-size football pitches on the grounds, meaning the Three Lions can train just metres away from their hotel beds.
The resort has previously been home to the German national team as well as Scottish giants Rangers, and Championship side QPR.
A fully equipped gym and wellness centre round off the fitness elements of the resort.
The England stars will even be greeted by a robot waiter called Kehrbart, who is kitted out with his own No.24 Germany shirt.
The droid speaks phrases in German including ‘Excuse me’ and ‘Please let me get on with my work’.
Kehrbart will help 160 staff at the resort by collecting dishes from guests at one of the hotel’s six restaurants.
Several special requests have already been made to the resort before the England players check-in.
Owner Matthias Grafe told Bild: “Most questions were about the air conditioning in the rooms – probably after the experience in Qatar. We had to retrofit one room.
“We also ensured that English television was broadcast via satellite in the rooms.
“And we blacked out the glass fronts and windows so that the notorious yellow press couldn’t take pictures of the boys.”
He added: “We have 35 chefs here who prepare everything the English want based on their menu.
“I’m sure there will be hamburgers at some point. The rooms of the players, coaches and support staff are also decorated with personal items. For example, we received family photos and other personal items in advance, which we then used to decorate the rooms.”
Apart from the amenities and requests, there are plenty of things to keep players and staff occupied.
Given it’s a golf resort, there are plenty of facilities for the England squad to work on their handicap.
Weimarer Land has two 18-hole courses and a nine-hole option as well.
There are spa facilities, allowing Harry Kane and co to fully relax after games for as long as England are in the tournament.
The hotel has 94 rooms and is a 90-minute drive away from Leipzig in the east of Germany.
Prices for Weimarer Land start at £300-per night, and there are a selection of snooker tables and and other leisure activities.
However, there will be no WAGs at the hotel, with England players’ partners in hotels more than 20 miles away
This has become the norm in recent years after previous incidents caused too many distractions and drew unnecessary media coverage.
The players and staff will get time to spend with their partners and families, but they won’t be staying together.
Speaking about that decision in 2023, Southgate said: “We have a great environment with our players.
“We want their families to be able to go and enjoy the tournament as well.
“We normally welcome them in at various times. It changes the dynamic of the hotel, especially if the kids come in, and those elements are important for the players.
“Really, we want somewhere where we can be a little bit on our own.”
And on that front, the FA have delivered because Weimarer Land is very much secluded and private and should prove to be the perfect base for England’s Euro campaign.
Certainly, Southgate has got what he wanted and the England players are sure to enjoy their time at this resort.
Hopefully, they are there for the duration of the tournament.
Where are England’s Group C opponents based?
England will face Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia in Group C of Euro 2024.
Serbia are their first opponents and are based in Augsburg, which is a pretty large German city that is much further away from Gelsenkirchen for the opener.
Denmark are likely to be England’s main opposition to top the group after making the semi-finals of Euro 2020, where the Three Lions beat them.
The Danes’ camp is in Freudenstadt, which is slightly closer to Frankfurt than England for the second game.
Finally, Southgate and co play Slovenia in Cologne, and that’s a much easier journey for England’s opponents.
The Eastern European side are setting up in Wuppertal, which is 30 miles away from Cologne, so in terms of travel, they will have the edge over England for that one.