OVERCOAT weather in Whitburn, where the icy wind howls in from the North Sea and sends dark, brooding clouds scurrying across the skyline.

Mechanical diggers transport materials across a building site; the piercing sound of drills cuts through the crisp morning air.

As work gathers pace on the latest building block in Sunderland's masterplan, vice-chairman John Fickling casts an admiring eye over a project he knows will be the envy of clubs throughout Europe.

"Roker Park did us for 100 years and the Stadium of Light could do the same," he said.

"The Academy of Light will probably last as long.

"This will be one of the best facilities in British football; even one of the best in Europe.

"We'll be inundated with requests to visit it when it's finished."

D-Day is in around four months' time, when Sven-Goran Eriksson will use Sunderland's new training ground to prepare England for their momentous game with Turkey.

Fickling beams as he reflects on the decision to grant his club England's biggest home match of their Euro 2004 qualifying campaign.

Back in 1999, Kevin Keegan's England trained down south before making the briefest of visits north to take on Belgium at the Stadium of Light.

A lack of top-class training facilities in the region precluded the national team from setting up camp in the North-East three years ago. But not any more.

It has taken more than seven years for the Academy of Light, built at a cost approaching £15m, to progress from brainchild of the Sunderland board to reality.

Their impending move from the antiquated Charlie Hurley Training Ground has been compared with swapping dingy student digs for a palatial penthouse.

And the appointment this week of Kees Zwamborn, head of Ajax' famed youth programme, as Sunderland's new Academy director illustrates the club's determination to punch their weight at all levels.

Fickling said: "We're building a Ferrari here and we want Michael Schumachers to drive it.

"Hopefully, Kees will be our Michael Schumacher.

"This is a major investment and we need quality people at all levels.

"The Academy of Light was key to Kees coming here. Ajax are known worldwide for developing young players and we've got their top man coming in.

"We were determined to get the best and Ajax have proved over the years that their system works.

"He's going to start with a clean sheet of paper. It's such an exciting appointment.

"We said we'd scour Europe to get the best man and we've pulled off a heck of a coup."

The main building still needs a lot of cosmetic work to be done to the inside, but one can see Sunderland's vision slowly coming together.

By next spring, the builders will be all but gone and players from eight-years-old and upwards will move in. As well as a myriad of dressing rooms, treatment areas and the like, the plans incorporate a games room and classrooms for young players and schoolchildren who take part in the club's community programme.

The glistening jewel in the Academy's crown is the hydrotherapy area - the first such facility at a British club.

As well as a 20m exercise pool and a Jacuzzi, Sunderland have commissioned a hydrotherapy pool that will revolutionise the treatment of injured players.

Should someone suffer the sort of misfortune that has befallen Claudio Reyna, the length of their lay-off could be slashed as their rehabilitation is placed in the best hands available.

It is a world away from the Charlie Hurley Training Ground and its ramshackle collection of Portakabins.

"Our physio, Mark Leather, is very keen to use water to treat injuries because the current thinking is that hydrotherapy is the way forward," Fickling said.

"There are one or two private clubs in this country that have this facility, but our pool will be one of very few outside the United States."

The arrival of Sunderland's brave new dawn has not been without its problems.

Plans for an indoor barn and hostel - both essential if the club are to retain their Academy status - will be reviewed at a public inquiry in April.

Sunderland have had to be tenacious and persistent to get this close to seeing their dream come to fruition, with concessions made to groups concerned about the ecological impact of the development.

A wetlands area has been installed at the back of the site, while the pitches and building have been sunk so low that they are barely visible from Cleadon Lane that runs past the Academy.

Now, with most of the hurdles having been cleared, Fickling cannot hide his excitement as he talks enthusiastically about the newest piece in Sunderland's jigsaw.

"This complex is as important to the club moving forward as the Stadium of Light," he said.

"This is the first training ground that has been designed from day one with everyone in mind, from the senior pros to schoolboys.

"It's important players feel they're going to be looked after and we'll do that very well here.

"We've gone to great lengths to point out to players what we've been doing for the last 12 months. They can't wait to move here permanently.

"There's a change of culture among young footballers at the moment. They are athletes, and people want to ensure they have the best facilities in which to train.

"A lot of clubs are in a fairly desperate situation, but once this opens our expenditure will be over for decades.

"We'll see an immediate benefit for the first team.

"It will take longer for that to happen with the youngsters, but we'll have world-class facilities which will help to attract and retain top players.

"We want to bring more good young players through. We've got better recently but this will make a difference.

"We can't offer the glamour that Manchester United can, but we will be able to show a kid and his parents the facilities and the quality of people we have.

"When they see that, they'll want to come here."