Kirsha training centre is located 15 km from Donetsk. In 2014, it happened to be in the thick of military action. On the night of August 29, the top floor of the main building, where Shakhtar's first team previously lived, was destroyed as a result of shelling. Also damaged were the players' recreational area, living and ancillary accommodations, and the football fields. Some of the consequences of the shelling were eliminated, and water and electricity supply were restored. Practice fields were also brought back to normal.

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

It was established in 1953 and reconstructed in 1999.

This is a top-level centre of one of the best clubs in Europe

Construction of the main building at Kirsha began in December 1998 and was completed 12 months later, in December 1999. The total floor area of the main building is 4,368 sq. m. The entire sports centre covers an area of over 43 ha, including a 10.5-hectare pond.

The living accommodations for the reserve team and Shakhtar 3 were commissioned in December 2001. The construction of the Football Academy building and an indoor pitch was completed in December 2008.

Construction History

The construction of the Pitmen’s training facility was initiated in the early 1950s. It was decided to erect a sports centre in place of miners’ abandoned barracks that remained from the local mines. The wooden structures were turned into a players recreational area with a cinder pitch nearby, and a special team bus bringing the footballers to the centre.

The construction of a full-fledged football training centre and the renovation of Shakhtar Stadium were priorities in terms of the club infrastructure development in the 1960s. Expanding and improving the training facilities were among the key tasks of the team’s management. In the mid-70s, Shakhtar's training centre in Kirsha village became one of the best in the USSR.

In the mid-90s, the club's infrastructure development gained a new momentum with Rinat Akhmetov becoming the president of FC Shakhtar. He initiated the construction of a new training centre that would meet the most up-to-date requirements to football facilities.

Today, Kirsha training centre is literally buried in greenery with around 4,500 trees and almost 3,000 shrubs located throughout its territory. Shakhtar's training centre is famous for its white and black swans farm and a dovecot, that has been around since the mid-70s.

Facilities

Kirsha centre has nine full-size pitches: eight with natural turf and one with artificial. All fields are equipped with lighting systems for night time training. Furthermore, the centre has a 40х60 metres indoor pitch, equipped with the latest lighting and heating systems, as well as forced ventilation system. The tallest part of the structure reaches 13 metres.

Shakhtar's training centre is the best in Ukraine

The main building of the training centre houses 16 comfortable double rooms for footballers, 6 rooms for coaches, and 6 rooms for medical staff. A medical rehabilitation block is the pride of Kirsha training centre.

The building for the reserves, Shakhtar 3 and Shakhtar U19 is a smaller copy of the main building with a total area of about 2,300 sq. m. It also features all necessary facilities for education and training.

International competitions

Kirsha centre repeatedly hosted matches of the International Youth Tournament commemorating FC Shakhtar President A. Bragin, with participating teams from Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Italy, Spain, England, Scotland, Holland and other countries.

During Euro 2012, in June, Kirsha centre accommodated France and Spain.