ADELAIDE United coach Josep Gombau has slammed the Reds training facilities, saying poor surfaces are causing injuries to his squad.

A fortnight after The Advertiser's soccer investigation revealed Football Federation SA's premier and state league clubs were struggling to grow because of poor facilities, Gombau said he was in shock.

His new club is nomadic and Gombau doesn't understand why after he did his coaching education at arguably world soccer's best training facility - Barcelona's La Masia.

The Spaniard said some of Adelaide's training facilities were better suited for picnics.

Gombau has been in Adelaide for eight weeks after a four-year stint with Hong Kong club Kitchee.

He also revealed Hong Kong's facilities were much better than SA's.

''This is something that I never expected when I came here,'' Gombau said.

''I expected Australian facilities - the sports culture to be brilliant.

'' But after I live here for a while I get the feeling that our football is not so important in the mentality of the people.

''Really we are training on facilities that are not ready for us.

''We are training on facilities that are more a park than a football facility.

''It's a piece of land where people can go and enjoy with the family, that's how I see it.''

During this preseason, Adelaide has had to continually shift its operation which hasn't pleased Gombau at all.

The club has used West Beach's Adelaide Shores, SASI Kidman Park headquarters, Thebarton Oval, Santos Stadium and Coopers Stadium (sparingly).

Gombau said Coopers Stadium's pitch was brilliant but the others left him feeling melancholic.

Given Gombau has vowed to deliver a new Adelaide with possession, the passing game and entertainment at the forefront of his radical culture change, the Spaniard said he was concerned.

The new philosophy hasn't come on as strong as he would have liked because the team has been training on less than adequate pitches.

''For our style this is a worry because we cannot do what we want,'' Gombau said.

''I have had to change my training schedule three or four times because the pitch is not good enough and I need to adapt for this.

''I do not want to bring this as an excuse but this is something that is realistic.''

Gombau in preseason has also lost players through injury.

With A-League kick off less than a month away, Marcelo Carrusca (calf), Bruce Djite (ankle), Cassio (hip) and Fabio Ferreira (ankle) are all injured.

Djite and Cassio are long term injured.

It is costing the club time and money Gombau added.

''We are not training on proper football pitches and sometimes we are losing players for injuries and that's costing us money and we're losing time because these facilities are pushing our schedule,'' Gombau said.

'' I'm not worried because we have only month until we start the league.

''But we need to find a way.

''My concern is there are two big things why this is happening.

''One is because we are playing a lot of football, physical and tactical.

''At the moment when we are playing games there are a lot of contusions.

''It's a real game because the players are getting injured in the games and we train like we're playing games.

''This is one theory but I only believe that's 30 per cent of our injuries.

''I think the other 70 per cent is caused by the grounds the pitches.

''We have a few players injured because the grounds that we have been training on are not so good and that's happened to three or four players.

'' That's ankle problems and knee problems if you are training on good fields this cannot happen.''

Save SA soccer: https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/save-sa-s-soccer

Originally published as Adelaide United the gypsy kings