Reflection upon our Preseason Preparation

With the season fast approaching for both teams, it is a good time to reflect back on the lessons and experiences we shared at our preseason facility in Velez-Malaga.July 28th was the official date for players to join up with their new teammates and friends for the first Marbella United FC pre season. A sense of anticipation, excitement and nervousness was surrounding the camp during the first few days. A new beginning, a new chapter and a facility that would hold the first month of where the team would eat,sleep and breath football in a professional environment.With a business oriented approach the sessions were fast underway, a 7am morning run along one of many beautiful mountains Malaga has to offer was a great first session to get rid of any jet lag. As expected with any professional academy, competition for places was underway. Senior players took initiative in leading by example and starting the process of guiding the younger players to ensure the bonding process had begun.The facility itself was a perfect breeding ground for focus, development and assessment of players ability. Away from the hustle and bustle of a holiday season in Europe's Celebrity hotspot of Marbella, our new coaches were able to get to work with building an understanding of how this academy would approach training and games. Relationships were quick to grow and players were quick to incorporate the coaches concepts enabling the team to have a successful start in triumphing against a Division 4 team in their first game.With a chef catering to the players needs; the food intake was precise, the timing of meals was exact and the players were educating themselves on how to fuel their bodies to ensure maximum performance. With access to a swimming pool amongst other key amenities the players had everything set up to succeed as a player. College freshman Fritz Miller summarised his experience "Pre season was very intense and structured. This created a professional atmosphere which allowed me to improve and prepare for the forthcoming season."With trips to watch Malaga CF play in pre season, along with enjoying our day off in the beautiful sandy beaches of Malaga the team was able to refuel and unwind from the demanding schedule of playing in a professional academy.With the announcement of the first professional showcase trip coming less then one month into the program, the players upped the intensity and level to prepare for La Liga teams; Valencia, Villarreal & Levante.Overall Pre Season was a huge success, with team bonding being a key outcome along with players improving technically, physically, psychologically and tactically. It was a great opportunity where we set the building blocks for us to have a successful season.