How to Plan a Pre-Season Training Camp: A Timeline for Clubs

Most of what goes wrong on a pre-season camp was decided weeks before the flight. A club that starts three months ahead can still choose its hotel, pitches and friendlies. One that starts three weeks out takes what is left. This is the timeline we suggest to clubs planning their first camp with us.

Twelve weeks before: the frame

Settle three things first: the dates, the length and the budget. Most pre-season camps last between 7 and 14 days. Shorter than a week, and the travel days eat into the training. Longer than two weeks, and players start to miss home.

Decide also who travels. A first team squad usually comes with coaches, medical staff, kit managers and officials, so a squad of 25 players often means a group of 35 or more. That number drives the room plan and the bus size.

Eight to ten weeks before: hotel, pitches and friendlies

This is when you choose the region and lock in the hotel and the pitches. Ask for the pitches to be as close to the hotel as possible. Every extra ten minutes on the bus is twice a day, every day.

Send your friendly requests at the same time: how many matches, against what level, and on which days. Opponents' calendars fill up, and a request made early has far more chance of being met.

Six weeks before: flights and documents

Book group flights now. A group fare holds seats for the whole party and allows names to be finalised later. Check passport validity and visa requirements for every travelling member, including staff with passports from a different country to the club's.

Four weeks before: rooms and meals

Send the rooming list: who shares, who has a single, which staff need rooms near the players. Pass on dietary needs and the menu preferences of your nutritionist. In Türkiye, halal full board is standard in the hotels we work with. Special requests, such as set meal times or a separate pre-match menu, are easier to arrange with notice.

Two weeks before: the final squad

Confirm the final names for flights and rooms, and send the kit and equipment list for the pitch: balls, cones, mannequins, GPS vests if you use them. We have the requested equipment ready at the pitch on the first morning. If you bring your own, a storage room is set aside at the hotel.

On arrival

On the first day, walk the pitch with the head coach and the groundsperson. Check the surface, the goals, the changing rooms and where water and ice will be. A small issue spotted on day one is easy to fix. On day four it costs a session.

The training day

Most clubs train twice a day for about 90 minutes each, with recovery, meals and video sessions in between. We arrange pitch times, transport and the meeting room around that rhythm. More on what we provide is on the Training Camps page.

What to send us first

To prepare a quote, we need only five things: preferred dates, group size, number of friendlies, preferred region and hotel category. Send them through our contact form and we come back with options.