With the Lionesses having stayed at The Lensbury for the duration of their outstanding European Championship triumph, when it comes to Elite Sports at London’s Riverside Resort, 2023 had a lot to live up to. This year though some of the world’s biggest talents came to The Lensbury.
The Lionesses returned once again as they prepared for a brilliant World Cup run in Australia. In the summer months the world’s most followed football team, Manchester United Football Club, made two appearances at the Club, training hard for FA Cup matches in both the semi-final, beating Brighton on penalties, and in the big final at Wembley, where they narrowly missed out on the trophy to rivals Manchester City. The team graced our training pitches as they worked hard for their cup clashes. Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag used our conference rooms to strategise for the upcoming matches. He also gave generous praise to the UEFA-grade pitches at The Lensbury.
Our Grounds & Gardens Manager, Peter Craig and team also spent the summer working tirelessly, in order to create their picture-perfect pitches and grounds.
Despite its usage by some of the world’s best athletes throughout the year, we were incredibly proud to announce that the surface was awarded with UEFA Grade 5 status. This accolade puts the playing surface on par with the likes of Wembley Stadium, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and other elite-level grounds.
It was a very busy summer period for our elite sports setup, with a whole host of teams staying with us, including the World XV (coached by former World Cup winning All Blacks coach Steve Hansen) ahead of their star-studded clash with the Barbarians at Twickenham. We welcomed the return of the England rugby team in the build-up to their Rugby World Cup campaign, and had the privilege of hosting the All Blacks in August. They fully utilised the facilities, including the Elite Sports gym, pitches and rooms during their stays, they could be regularly spotted around the resort throughout their stay. As part of our ongoing commitment to our sporting heritage at The Lensbury, we extended an invitation to the All Blacks for a Q&A with our members, a rare opportunity for our members to get to know one of sports most secretive teams. The event was hosted by Steve Hill (Former Richmond RFC Director of Rugby) and featured Darren Shand (Team Manager with almost 20 years of experience), Greg Feeks (Former All Black & Current Scrum Coach), and Dane Coles (All Blacks & Hurricanes Hooker). This provided attendees with exclusive insights into the world of rugby, including aspects of rugby life, training and World Cup preparation.
As we closed out the year, we welcomed the Hollywood Bet Sharks for the first-ever visit of a South African rugby team to the club. In town for their United Rugby Championship fixture against the Ospreys, the team made the most of our facilities ahead of their clash and enjoyed all that we have to offer at London’s Riverside Resort.
We’re already looking forward to what is set to be a great 2024, with many more elite visitors planning on staying with us and enjoying the wide variety of top-class facilities that we offer.
