Training venues

Part of your planning will include the number of training sessions required during a preparation week. Your requirements should be communicated to hosts or tournament organisers as soon as possible and in turn, you should be clear on what the training venue will contain. It is reasonable to expect that the field of play will be lined and will have posts, but it is certainly worth checking. Also worth noting:

• Is there elevation for analysists for set up cameras?
• Are there suitable floodlights for evening/night sessions which may be pertinent given the time of year/climatic conditions/kick off times?
• Is there access to changing rooms/toilets beside the pitch?
• What equipment will be provided at the training venue?
• Can ice baths be conducted at training venues?
• What is a bad weather alternative for training pitches? 

If the hotel does not have a suitable pool, you may wish to have access to a swimming pool for recovery purposes. It is unlikely that a public pool will be made solely available to you so you may have to manage expectations with the team regarding pool times. 

Access to a gym should also be provided and you should be clear in advance as to your team's requirements for equipment, session times and whether your team will train together or split into different groups. This approach to training may also require additional bus journeys.