Photo by Vikram TKV on Unsplash
The professional football world in Europe is currently embarking on the pre-season phase of the season. When most people think of football pre-season, they picture players jogging through sun-soaked training camps or posing with new signings. But beneath the surface lies a period of immense intensity physically, psychologically, technically, and tactically. It’s the time when foundations are built not just for performance, but for resilience, cohesion, and identity. And for sports science staff, it’s where the real work begins. Our time to shine!
The Physical and Psychological Demands
Pre-season is a tough stretch. Players return at different fitness levels, and it’s our job as sports scientists to get them physically ready while minimising injury risk. Long days are the norm. Sometimes double or long training sessions in the day, alongside travelling to and from training centres where you might not be based at. Add in meetings, reviews, and eating and suddenly you’re suddenly clocking 12-hour days.
Sessions can be tough with various approaches around loading from each backroom team being executed. But it’s not just about meters covered or GPS metrics. There’s a psychological challenge too. New players arrive, old ones move on, and everyone is under pressure to impress. The atmosphere can be both energising and tense. As a sports scientist, you become a sounding board, a translator of data, and sometimes even a calming presence amidst the noise.
Sports science plays a key role in supporting coaches by contextualising the demands and making sure players are ready not just to understand the playing system, but to physically execute it.
My Journey Through Pre-Seasons Past
I’ve experienced a wide range of pre-seasons, each one shaping me in different ways.
In 2012 at Everton FC, I was thrown in at the deep end. On day one, a former Premier League player handed me his boots and asked me to ‘wear them in’ for him. They were a size too small, of course. It was a humbling introduction to the hierarchy of a professional dressing room, but also a lesson in humility and service.
A year later, I was with Liverpool FC on their Asia tour. The glamour of playing in front of packed stadiums in Bangkok, Jakarta and Melbourne masked the reality of long-haul flights, extreme humidity, and tight turnarounds. Delivering accurate, timely data in those conditions required total focus and clear communication.
In 2016, I joined Videoton FC in Hungary. A whole new environment, language, and football culture. I had to adapt quickly, integrating into a new technical staff while learning to understand the players’ mindset and training philosophies.
Then, in 2018 at Crewe Alexandra, it was a return to basics. Limited resources meant no fancy monitoring tools, just a solid plan. Those sessions were some of the most rewarding of my career. They reinforced that good coaching and conditioning don’t always need bells and whistles, just clarity, intent, and adaptability.
There’s No One Way to Pre-Season
Every club is different. Every group of players is different. That’s why pre-season should never follow a rigid formula. The sports scientist’s job is to adapt to the culture, to the schedule, to the squad. It’s about being a problem solver, a communicator, and a decision-maker.
Ultimately, pre-season is where teams begin to form. Not just on the pitch, but off it too. And for support staff, it’s a chance to influence the journey from day one, even if that means breaking in someone else’s boots!
L.Anderson.4@bham.ac.uk