A PREMIER league club is spending this week in a pre-season training camp near York.

Newcastle United has returned to the multi-million pound Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate campus, between York and Boroughbridge, as part of its preparations for the upcoming 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

The Magpies visited the state-of-the-art complex for a week last summer, when manager Steve Bruce and his players were hugely impressed by the facilities.

"I firmly believe that for any team it's always vital to have a training camp away from the familiar surroundings of your training ground and once it became clear that the current Covid-19 restrictions would make travelling abroad extremely difficult, there was only one choice in my eyes," said Steve.

"The facilities at Queen Ethelburga's are first class and I was delighted with everything last year, from the hotel accommodation to the pitches and everything in between, so we're really looking forward to going back there."

The school's state-of-the-art Sports Village includes full-size grass and artificial football pitches, a 25-metre swimming pool, four-lane running track, fitness suite and a dedicated Sports Science and Treatment Centre houses equipment ranging from underwater treadmills to cryotherapy cold spa baths, to help with rehabilitation and post-training recovery.

Amy Martin, Queen Ethelburga's CEO, said: 2We are fortunate to have some world class facilities on our site and a team of expert staff who will do all they can to help ensure a successful start to pre-season training for the club. We would like to wish Steve Bruce, his staff and players all the very best for the season ahead."