Leicester look to new Training Ground

[Houdini Logic]

Personally, I'd like to know exactly what is going to be different about these new facilities?

I'm not quite sure what you could want that Belvoir Drive doesn't have

[Edmund]

Maybe they are aspiring for a better facility like this...and this is about 9 months old this clip, very interesting...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJNrBMwakJI...feature=related

Exactly. 3 pitches and an indoor stadium as we currently have doesn't mean we've got top class training facilities at all.

Personally, I'd like to know exactly what is going to be different about these new facilities?

I'm not quite sure what you could want that Belvoir Drive doesn't have

I'm led to believe mainly sport science facilities. Plays a huge part of the game these days. Anything from slow release energy supplements to steroids I'm guessing

[renards]

I love this old chestnut!

Lough Uni have 7 pitches near completion ( top of Ashby road near to Holywell park) all the muts nuts

1 pitch will have stands for the Uni team

Their sports science is amounst the best in the country

LCFC (As about 4+ weeks ago) were in advanced discussions to use these facilities, this would inc adding there own catering inc Gary from B Drive

They may have other options but from a meeting I atteneded at the Uni (i work there) its as good as done. dotting the T's etc

Re Mandaric selling the family jewells, this was discussed 3+ years ago on this site, i felt this would always happen, daft to think otherwise

[FantasticMrFuchs]

I love this old chestnut!

Lough Uni have 7 pitches near completion ( top of Ashby road near to Holywell park) all the muts nuts

1 pitch will have stands for the Uni team

Their sports science is amounst the best in the country

LCFC (As about 4+ weeks ago) were in advanced discussions to use these facilities, this would inc adding there own catering inc Gary from B Drive

They may have other options but from a meeting I atteneded at the Uni (i work there) its as good as done. dotting the T's etc

Re Mandaric selling the family jewells, this was discussed 3+ years ago on this site, i felt this would always happen, daft to think otherwise

Thanks Renards Loughborough's answer to Know It All

[Houdini Logic]

Exactly. 3 pitches and an indoor stadium as we currently have doesn't mean we've got top class training facilities at all.

I'm led to believe mainly sport science facilities. Plays a huge part of the game these days. Anything from slow release energy supplements to steroids I'm guessing

There are far more than 3 pitches at Belvoir Drive, the indoor centre is good quality, large gym, reception, in the city so good encouragement for academy matches (and the academy players - nearly all of whom won't drive).

Bear in mind that most clubs have a pitch round the back of their club and that's about it.

I don't believe that sports science facilities couldn't be added to our existing facilities.

To be honest I don't really have an opinion whether we move or not - just trying to work out if we are going to get better facilities (and if so, what?) or if the club are just too scared to tell the truth

[Guest]

I'd also be interested to know but considering he's pumped at least £15 million(probably more now) of his own money into the club I think he has every right to do as he pleases with the cash as long as the football club is in his best interests i.e. upgrade to better facilities.

Oh my lordy lord!!!

Where's yer proof, foxyarmy?

[harpendenfox]

A 100-inch plasma television has been installed by Manchester United players at the club's Carrington training ground. It is believed Sir Alex Ferguson's stars had a whip-round to buy the £80,000 TV set for the lounge area. (Daily Star)

so that's what's needed to ensure we have a proper training ground

[Sir Fynwy]

A 100-inch plasma television has been installed by Manchester United players at the club's Carrington training ground. It is believed Sir Alex Ferguson's stars had a whip-round to buy the £80,000 TV set for the lounge area. (Daily Star)

so that's what's needed to ensure we have a proper training ground

I don't think that Loughborough Uni has a 100" TV but the near proximity of female students may make up for the lack if the team get bored.

[Alexikokopops]

Selling the training ground is a money making exercise which isn't a bad thing as long as the money made is invested back in the club rather than being taken out of the club, if we end up renting at Loughborough the club has lost an asset and if the University decided to terminate a deal at some point in the future the club would have to find money to build a new training facility.

This is my view on matters. If the money is actually invested in a fancy new training ground that we own then there's no problem. However it would be extremely naive to think that there's no chance of us heading down the rented route.

[Webbo]

[Tony Pine]

those pics are hilarious

[renards]

Thanks Renards Loughborough's answer to Know It All

I couldn't even lace 'know it all' shoes just work at Lough Uni, they may take a different route and make me look a Dick!

Although many things are in the Uni's favour esp the cashing in aspect, where else can offer the 'off the shelf' faultless facilities without the club investing millions

[Edmund]

I couldn't even lace 'know it all' shoes just work at Lough Uni, they may take a different route and make me look a Dick!

Although many things are in the Uni's favour esp the cashing in aspect, where else can offer the 'off the shelf' faultless facilities without the club investing millions

I personally think it will be a great move for the club.

I know the sports science is up there with the best in the country. A lot of top athletes go there for advice. I think a lot of people have got the idea that sports science consists of a small lab that can be built at Belvoir drive where a boff mixes a few protein shakes, which you and me know is not the case.

[Houdini Logic]

I personally think it will be a great move for the club.

I know the sports science is up there with the best in the country. A lot of top athletes go there for advice. I think a lot of people have got the idea that sports science consists of a small lab that can be built at Belvoir drive where a boff mixes a few protein shakes, which you and me know is not the case.

Enlighten us - I genuinely have no idea and I think it would be interesting to know what to expect and what the benefits will be to our players

[Edmund]

Enlighten us - I genuinely have no idea and I think it would be interesting to know what to expect and what the benefits will be to our players

If you insist.

Sorry if it's not completely accurate or if their are areas I have missed.

The simple game of football is changing as the focus for players has shifted from simply being footballers to being top-class athletes. The difference in skill/ability levels at the highest levels of the game has become smaller, so the importance of other aspects of the game gains importance. Psychological and physical demands play a vital role in the overall development and performance of players, and part of the revolution involves a shift to the more scientific aspects of the game.

Sports science is a discipline that studies the application of scientific principles and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance.

For youth players, exposure to Sports Science and its methods from a young age is a healthy practice. It highlights the importance of the physical elements of the game and how improving these can help their skill and overall development. It also emphasises the need for good adherence to improving physically in order to improve their game and overall health and fitness in general.

Fitness Demands of Football

Television coverage of football matches has led to the emergence of many new statistics available at the touch of a button. One of which is the "distance covered" stat often shown on screen as a player leaves the field. Often, the average distance covered by a top-class outfield player during a 90-minute match is over 10000m (or somewhere between 8 – 13kms), depending on position etc. However, these figures do not accurately represent the full demands placed on a player. If you consider the world record for the 10000m footrace is 26 minutes and 17 seconds, which works out at 3.5 times shorter than a football match, it appears at first glance that football is much less physically demanding than the 10k. If it takes 90 minutes for a footballer to run 10k, surely the intensity of a match is fairly easy compared to an Olympic 10k event?

This is where football is unique. Football uses each kind of exercise intensity, with short sprints and powerful jumps interspersed with periods of jogging, walking, moderate-paced running and standing still. This kind of activity is termed "maximal intermittent exercise"; maximal meaning it elicits heart rates at the physical maximum and intermittent meaning it has a "stop-start" nature.

Previous study of competitive football matches has shown that an average player would sprint 15m every 90 seconds, with around 10% of the game spent sprinting and a change in activity every 5 to 6 seconds (Reilly, 1976). Obviously, the nature of each game and positional demands means these figures can fluctuate greatly (the studies are slightly dated also), but a more up to date study showed that generally, players spent 70% of the game at a speed of 4 metres per second (slightly above ½ pace) and the other 30% spent running at a pace of 5-9 m/s near sprinting speed (Ekblom, 1994). So if a player covers 10k in a game, around 3k will be done at a fast pace, of which probably 1k will be done at a flat out sprint. This is what makes football so physically demanding.

Energy Systems

The body uses 2 main systems in providing energy to fuel sporting performance: the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. Aerobic simply means "with oxygen" and anaerobic "without oxygen". Marathon runners rely solely on aerobic energy systems as they can breathe in as much O2 as they like during a race, whereas 100m sprinters use only anaerobic systems as they don’t have time to take in O2 during a race. Therefore anaerobic exercise can be defined as "short bursts of vigorous exercise", with aerobic exercise being anything below these levels of intensity.

Put simply, footballers require both energy systems for good performance. The average 10k distance covered in a match must be sustained by the aerobic systems, with the accumulated 1k of sprints powered by anaerobic systems. Studies have shown that a high VO2max (maximal oxygen uptake – a marker of physical fitness) has a strong relation to the amount of sprints attempted in a game (Reilly, 1976 and Smaros, 1988), evidence that a good level of aerobic fitness is important in influencing overall performance. As well as fuelling the lower-intensity activities, the aerobic system is important as a means of recovery between high-intensity bursts. During rest periods, a large blood flow is required to pass through the working muscles and remove any harmful waste products. The quicker this is achieved, the quicker the player can repeat high-intensity sprints during the game.

The anaerobic demands of football, as detailed before, make up only 5-10% of the activity during 90mins. However, the intensity is near to maximal during this time which places great demands on the body’s energy systems. Anaerobic exercise produces lactate which, in itself (here comes the science), can be used to produce more energy and is a useful product. Only when it begins to accumulate in the blood does it become harmful and detrimental to performance, as hydrogen ions are produced and this makes the muscle more acidic which, in turn, disrupts how effectively the muscle works. It is this factor, not "lactic acid", which causes the muscle pain you feel 24-48 hours after vigorous exercise.

Sports Science Programmes

The programmes itself is aimed at improving players’ fitness levels throughout the season, complementing the other skills, technique and tactical sessions carried out by each squad. It incorporates both endurance exercises and speed and sprint work which aims to give a good overall base level of aerobic fitness, with anaerobic fitness improved on top of this with specific exercises. It is aimed specifically at footballers, mimicking the demands of an actual game with the correct work-to-rest ratios and distances covered.

Improving the aerobic capacity of the players is done by long steady runs, which will develop the aerobic capacity by means of increased formation of small blood vessels - which enhances oxygen transport to the muscles - and by creating greater efficiency in the heart and lungs. If the aerobic capacity is greater, it means there will be more oxygen available to the working muscles and this should delay the onset of lactic acid at a given work intensity, meaning players feel less fatigued at that intensity.

These types of exercises mimic the intermittent nature of a game, with different intensities and speeds of running present throughout the exercise. Recovery time very important, and a lot of time is allowed for this.

Anaerobic fitness is improved using a variety of high-intensity exercises similar to those found during a game. For example, the high-intensity periods are very short and the rest periods relatively long as the sprints a player makes are mostly 10 to 25 metres in length, or 3 to 5 seconds in duration. This can be seen in the "Hollow sprints" exercise from the programme:

So combined sprint distance is only 30m, but the actions seen in a match are replicated by interspersing the sprints with lower pace running. Emphasis is on recovering properly so that the sprints are done with quality. Quality, not quantity.

The programmes also incorporates some speed, agility and quickness work which uses football-specific movements such as sidesteps, backwards and forwards running. This type of exercise is not as physically demanding as the fitness based work, and is aimed instead at improving leg muscle function in order to improve speed and the body’s ability to change direction.

Other areas worked on include some balance and proprioception work which improves body and limb awareness and forms a good basis for improving technique. For example, when volleying where all the weight is on one leg or challenging for a header. Improving this can also form a basis for injury prevention or treatment after injury. Some light resistance exercises are also used in the programme to improve core stability or upper body strength and exercises such as the hollow sprints can act as good resistance exercise for the lower body if done properly.

Testing is carried out at certain points throughout the season to monitor players’ fitness levels. Basic height, weight and body mass index measurements are taken as a marker of physical development and are useful for both players and coaches to monitor improvements. 10 and 20 metre sprint performance is tested to observe acceleration and overall speed attributes, as well as T-test performance to monitor agility. Measured jumps are recorded which looks at leg strength and acts as a good measure of overall fitness. Finally, each player is put through a bleep test to measure endurance and overall aerobic fitness.

Results are collated and examined to see what improvements can be made for each player. Comparisons can also be drawn between players in the same squad, players across different squads and between squads at different age groups. This allows Academies to keep track of squads’ fitness performance from year-to-year.

Overall, the Sports Science programme forms an integral part of the development of the players and prepares them well for the demands of professional football.

[Flynny]

If you insist.

Sorry if it's not completely accurate or if their are areas I have missed.

Areas 'you've' missed? But you could have just linked us? Unless that's actually you in which case whoops, I'm a twat.

[lovelcfc]

bevoir drive is awesome why move and does anybody know why they dont let you watch the training they used to

[Edmund]

Sorry Flynny, I was yanking your chain. I just pulled it from the first website I could find. Like I could type that in 8 minutes

[Houdini Logic]

bevoir drive is awesome why move and does anybody know why they dont let you watch the training they used to

Yes - the club thought it would be a good idea to contribute to the local community by offering a job to someone to stand at the gate all week long telling the public they can't come in.

[Chrysalis]

This from someone who berated Lisa for not having evidence.

What is a fact is that up to today Manadaric bought LCFC for approx £600k and that includes Belvoir Drive, spending £15mill on LCFC defies all logic for a man who's reportedly worth £75 mill, that's a massive proportion of his worth. Let's also not forget Hoo's constant pronouncements that the club needs to be self sufficient, which I agree with but is directly opposite to your perception of Mandaric putting in £15mill.

Finally if he really has put in anything like £15mill then heaven help us because that would indicate to me he's a shit businessman.

sorry to correct you.

he may have put spin on his purchase price but he paid in much more than 600k.

he had to as part of the deal put in two 4.5million payments. Since then the club has lost millions, now how that has been balanced I dont know, either a loan from MM or possibly him securing a loan to the club.

It is a bad time to sell the ground tho not very shrewd at all.

[Chrysalis]

It's a fact that MM has only paid 10p in the pound for the shares (about £600,000), it's also a fact that general debt has increased and no reduction in the stadium debt (you just need to look at the books), I don't understand how people can believe that there has been significant investment in the club.

I have looked at the books, did you miss the 2 4.5 million payments?

also we was losing 6 million a year when he came in, somehow that has been plugged as when he came in we was close to the clubs overdraft limit.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

near proximity of female students may make up for the lack if the team get bored.

Loughborough as well.

High end females.

[CosbehFox]

EC, one question Rochdale have a Sports Science section yet they don't have a training ground of note. Explain.

[Sir Fynwy]

I have looked at the books, did you miss the 2 4.5 million payments?

also we was losing 6 million a year when he came in, somehow that has been plugged as when he came in we was close to the clubs overdraft limit.

No I was pointing out that there has been no £15m payment into the club, I am well aware that 2 x £4.5m have gone into the club whether from MM or as loans secured by MM and we are on a much better financial footing (even if this is built on MM's loan guarantees). MM will do whatever it takes to maximise his investment and we can see this as a good thing in many ways as a successful club is a valuable club but selling an asset like the training ground comes with risks and although many clubs are releasing finance this way others are actively purchasing such assets. The clubs spin that our current facility is not capable is bull and they should be a bit more honest in their press releases.

[lou]

Yes - the club thought it would be a good idea to contribute to the local community by offering a job to someone to stand at the gate all week long telling the public they can't come in.

Its not a Club decision, it was purely a Pearson decision. He doesnt like folk watching training. I wouldnt wanna argue with him