JOHN Longmire thinks back to around a decade ago, when the planning phase to identify a potential location for the club's new headquarters were first drawn up by the Sydney hierarchy.

Longmire, then just a couple of seasons into what has since become a remarkable 13-year tenure in charge of the Swans, was part of the initial delegation deployed to look at prospective areas for their future training base.

Now one of the most successful coaches in the club's long and illustrious history, Longmire was among the first Sydney officials to step through the doors of the Swans' new $70 million headquarters when it first opened in January this year.

From the outside, Longmire and others could be forgiven for wondering if they had turned up to the right place. The iconic Royal Hall of Industries at Moore Park doesn't look as though it could house a football club. But, remarkably, it does.

Walk through its front doors and you're immediately ushered into a space that features an indoor football field 60m long and 30m wide, with artificial turf that enables players to work on craft, touch and tactical planning.

That's the centrepiece of a development that was finally announced in October 2018 after years of planning, and eventually came to fruition barely a month ago when players of Sydney's AFL and AFLW teams were first welcomed inside.

"It's been unbelievable. It's been fantastic. To be able to start the new year off in a premises like this, and being our new home, we feel very privileged and grateful," Longmire told AFL.com.au.

"Every day when you walk in, you can't help but think of when the guys came up from Victoria to New South Wales initially and they didn't have anywhere to go. They didn't have houses, they didn't have jobs, they didn't have anywhere to train. We feel very privileged that we've got this.

"So many people have been part of that journey. You're grateful from an historical perspective, then you get into the present and the thought of 'what a great spot to work'. The players are loving it, the staff are loving it. It's been fantastic."

To the right of the front entrance is the club's new state-of-the-art gym facilities, which features an altitude cycling studio, a hydration station, a wet area with hot and cold plunge pools, as well as saunas and spas. Above that is an outdoor terrace for the club to hold barbecues and functions.

To the left is an auditorium, meeting rooms for players and coaches to conduct vital development classes, and the new home for the 700 boys and girls involved in the Sydney Academy programs. There is also a creche made specifically for the families of staff members and players.

Straight ahead are the football departments for both the AFL and AFLW programs, which feature separate but identically sized changerooms. Also situated at that end of the building is an on-site café, as well as a player lounge with sleeping pods and an international standard basketball court.

Additionally, a major Lifeblood blood bank donor centre and two Indigenous mentoring and education organisations – the GO Foundation and the Clontarf Foundation – all reside within Sydney's new headquarters.

Longmire, the club's longstanding coach, was significantly involved in the design and placement of most aspects within the club's facilities. While it has at times been a slow burn in completing the building, the rewards are worth it.

"It's been a process and a long time in the making," Longmire said.

"From the identification that we were looking at different places in Sydney, which is so difficult, that was 10 or 12 years ago. From that, to the design of the place … once we knew the building and we had the building and how it worked, all of the footy staff got involved in that. It was really exciting.

"Some of the footy staff aren't here, who were part of it then as far as the planning. A few have come through in recent weeks and it's great for them to see the planning come to life. I was part of it, as were a lot of other people."

Sydney's players moved into the club's new Moore Park facilities on January 9 and have begun training for the upcoming campaign. The men's team plays practice matches against Brisbane at Tramway Oval (February 24) and Carlton at Blacktown International Sports Park (March 3), before its round one clash against Gold Coast on March 18.