Palm Beach Gardens hosts England as World Cup preparations ramp up

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (CBS12) — On most days, the fields at Gardens North County District Park are filled with local youth soccer players chasing championships of their own.

On Tuesday, they belonged to England.

One of the favorites to win the FIFA World Cup transformed the Palm Beach Gardens complex into its temporary training ground, drawing international media, heightened security and a select group of invited fans for a private practice session ahead of the world’s biggest sporting event.

For local soccer players watching from the sideline, the experience felt surreal.

“I was like I’m just dreaming. There’s no way this is real,” Cole said.

His father, Jorge Moore, laughed while recalling the anticipation leading up to the event.

“His leg wouldn’t stop shaking because he was so excited,” Jorge said.

Cole added, “I didn’t go to bed until two o’clock.”

“Let’s not tell mom that,” Jorge joked.

England is using Palm Beach County as part of its World Cup preparations, taking advantage of South Florida’s summer heat as players adjust to conditions they could encounter during the tournament.

“It’s nice to be out here and get us adapted to what it will be for the World Cup,” England striker Ollie Watkins said.

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Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo acknowledged the challenge.

“Been here before but playing football in this weather is something else,” Mainoo said.

The practice session was closed to the general public. Fans and media who were invited inside passed through multiple security checkpoints before entering the complex.

Among those watching were local youth players who regularly compete on the same fields where England’s stars trained.

“It was like jaw dropping,” said Palm Beach Gardens resident Luke Saccal. “It was crazy to see them walk past me and play right in front of me. My team plays here, so it’s cool to see them play on the same field my team plays on.”

One of the favorites to win the FIFA World Cup transformed the Palm Beach Gardens complex into its temporary training ground, drawing international media, heightened security and a select group of invited fans for a private practice session ahead of the world’s biggest sporting event. (WPEC)

The appearance by England highlights how Gardens North County District Park has quietly become one of the premier soccer facilities in the country.

The 82-acre complex features 10 FIFA-regulation grass fields and has hosted international teams, Major League Soccer clubs and major youth tournaments. Last year, Spanish giant Real Madrid used the facility as a training base during the FIFA Club World Cup.

Gary Walker, CEO of Palm Beach County Soccer Academy, said England manager Thomas Tuchel was stunned when he learned the facility is publicly owned.

“We walked around and he couldn’t believe that these fields were for public use, not private use,” Walker said. “He said, ‘This is unbelievable.'”

For Walker, Tuesday’s scene was something he never imagined seeing in Palm Beach County.

“You don’t wake up in Palm Beach on a Tuesday morning and all of a sudden you’re visiting the England national team,” Walker said. “So it was fantastic.”

England enters the World Cup among the tournament favorites, a reality not lost on veteran midfielder Jordan Henderson.

“There’s no bigger tournament really in the world than the World Cup, so everyone’s excited,” Henderson said. “For us, it’s just about taking each day as it comes and try to be the best version of ourselves.”

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The attention on Palm Beach Gardens is expected to continue long after England leaves.

Palm Beach County will host multiple FIFA World Cup Team Base Camps this summer. Portugal, one of the world’s top-ranked national teams, has selected Gardens North County District Park in Palm Beach Gardens as its official Team Base Camp, while Curaçao will train at Flagler Credit Union Stadium on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

For local players like Saccal, however, the biggest takeaway was much simpler.

The same fields where he practices every week had suddenly become part of the road to the World Cup.

“I was just like wow,” Saccal said. “This is such a cool experience. I’m so grateful.”

Team England will face New Zealand in a public pre-tournament friendly at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, June 6, before taking on Costa Rica in Orlando on June 10. Kickoff against New Zealand is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.