Tuesday 22 March 2016 13:07, UK
Chantilly, a city of culture, history and horse racing, will now act as the backdrop for an England team looking to make history this summer, as it provides the training base for Roy Hodgson's side.
Sky Sports News HQ were granted exclusive access to the team hotel and training ground and, after spending a day wandering the quaint little streets of this northern French town, it's easy to see why the FA were drawn to this location.
Less than 25 miles from the French capital, Chantilly was chosen by the FA because of its proximity to Paris and its transport links, as well as the calm and relaxed atmosphere of the city (it is classed as a city, despite having a population of around 11,000).
The players will be allowed to spend their downtime venturing out on to the high street for a look at the shops or to stop at one of the traditional French cafés for a coffee. And judging by Chantilly's equestrian background, you wouldn't expect them to encounter too many football supporters wanting autographs. Unless you're a certain Leicester striker that is…
As part of our shoot in Chantilly, our chief football reporter Nick Collins recorded a series of pieces to give SSN HQ viewers a behind-the-scenes look at what life might be like for an England player this summer.
One clip shows Nick walking down the high street and stopping for an espresso at a local café. When I thanked one of the customers in the cafe for helping to translate, he jokingly asked for an England shirt on my return to Chantilly in the summer with a leading English striker's name on the back.
"Jamie Vardy? He's good isn't he?" Asked the diner, to my amazement. It seems the Leicester story has made it all the way to the Picardy region of northern France.
While Vardy and co may get recognised in the streets of Chantilly, they won't be stopped by tourists in their hotel, the five-star Auberge de Jeu de Paume. The hotel has granted exclusivity to the FA, which has meant turning down a group of regular sponsors who usually stay for the Prix de Diane Longines at the adjacent racecourse.
Exclusivity, as well as facilities such as a swimming pool, a spa and a room to build a bespoke gym, were the reasons behind the FA selecting the hotel. The proximity to the training ground was also high on the agenda. England's training base is just a five-minute bike ride or short drive from the hotel.
The training base itself still has lots of work to be done, but the evidence is already there of the investment that is being made at the Stade de Bourgognes, home to local amateur side US Chantilly.
French pitch specialist Sebastien Ranson and his team were hard at work preparing the pitch when we were there - just ahead of laying seeds that had been flown in especially from the FA's St George's Park headquarters.
"We have had lots of meeting and discussions but we are happy that the weather is good now or it could have been tricky," Ranson told us.
"This is the only training pitch of the 24 [qualified] countries to have a hundred per cent new pitch as the quality was too poor. I'm pretty sure that we're going to be okay and I'm confident about the quality of the pitch".
Once Ranson and his team have finished their work, the FA's specialists will come in to oversee the completion of the project before the team arrive at the start of June. As well as the pitch, there is work to be done on painting the stand, erecting a fence around the perimeter of the training ground, and implementing all the relevant branding.
England's training base pitch design
