Stormzy opens new football club and recording studio, Merky FC HQ

Stormzy and Adidas have teamed up to launch a new multipurpose space in Croydon housing a football club, recording studio, and sports gaming hub.

Merky FC HQ opens for the first time today (May 2) on the existing football site Selhurst Sports Arena, managed by London charity Communities First Foundation.

The newly refurbished space is set to feature multipurpose rooms and “much-needed community facilities”, including a new 3G pitch and a “state-of-the-art” recording studio.

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“I’m gassed that we can finally open the doors to #Merky FC HQ,” Stormzy says on its launch. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long, long time and now there’s a community space that everyone in the area will be able to use and benefit from.”

The space aims to create a community hub for socialising and hopes to bring young people through the doors providing “development opportunities” in both careers and education.

“When I was growing up there was nothing like this around for young people, so it means a lot that we now have a facility like this in Croydon,” Stormzy says. “Proper homegrown!”

The studio allows aspiring artists to record their music, while multipurpose rooms throughout Mekry HQ provide “multimedia uses”, including podcasting and gaming events.

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On top of its refurbished football pitches, Merky FC also houses sports gaming rooms in collaboration with EA SPORTS featuring new consoles, racing simulators, and computers.

The new project follows the launch of the Merky FC Careers programme in 2022, which aims to address “racial equality in the football industry off-pitch”.

The programme also gives opportunities to UK Black Heritage Youth to access jobs in football. In the two years since its launch, the programme has helped more than 60 people get placed into roles across the industry.

Find out more about Merky FC HQ here, and check out some photos of the centre below.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter