William and Kate Open £105m New National Football Centre in Burton [PHOTOS]

Prince William and Kate Middleton have officially opened a new national football centre, St George's Park, in Burton in the east of Staffordshire.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge marked the grand opening of the new national football centre as Prince William, who has been President of The Football Association since 2006, planted a pin oak in the centre's premises.

The Football Association's St George's Park, costing £105m, is a 330-acre site developed for training all players of England's 24 representative teams; the centre will offer better coaching facilities to footballers to prepare them to win tournaments.

"St George's Park is a concept totally new. It will provide more than just world class facilities for our national team and more than a university from which hundreds of coaches will graduate," William said at the inauguration ceremony. "It will provide employment and a social hub for local people and will foster community spirit and purpose and hope throughout England."

The 2012 FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled to be played from 6 to 16 December, and players will start getting trained at St George's Park. However, it would be too early to expect results from the centre.

"Now is just the beginning. We hope for quicker returns but this is an investment for the long-term. The full benefits will be seen in a decade or so," the Duke added.

The state-of-the-art St George's Park includes a full size replica of the Wembley pitch, an indoor 3G pitch, 12 outdoor pitches, a multi-sport indoor facility and a rehabilitation and performance training centre.

"The opening of St George's Park is a landmark moment for football in this country, which will help strengthen our national game at all levels," Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Maria Miller, said in a statement, adding: "St George's Park is a genuine haven of learning, training and self-improvement. It is the practical and spiritual home of FA Learning, the educational arm of the FA."

Check out below the photographs of William and Kate at St George's Park, meeting the players, captains, coaches and taking a tour of the new national football centre.