AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth Women headed to Devon last weekend for their first ever pre-season camp.
A squad of 20 travelled to Ashbury Manor for a three-day stay, with manager Steve Cuss including a number of sessions across the weekend.
The Women departed Vitality Stadium on Friday morning and were straight to it upon arrival, with the first training taking place that afternoon.
Saturday saw three different sessions take place, one using the facility’s outdoor gym, while the other two involved ball work on the pitches.
That evening, the squad also made the most of the hydro pool at Ashbury Manor, allowing for maximum recovery ahead of their first pre-season friendly on the Sunday.
The weekend also involved a number of team-bonding activities, with table tennis and ten pin bowling bringing out a competitive edge of the side.
The trip ended with an 8-1 win over Torquay United Ladies, as the Cherries got their pre-season schedule off to a flying start.
Following the camp, Cuss spoke to afcb.co.uk about its success.
“It was a really good weekend and, from my point of view, we could spend a lot more time with the players out on the pitch.
“It will prove beneficial for the start of the season. It was a busy weekend, we kept the players active and we hope they enjoyed it.
“We also finished off with a game against Torquay and it was a good performance for our first run out of pre-season.
“We’re trying to mix it up with a bit of gym work too. We were in the gym very early and then had double sessions out on the grass just trying to embed our style of play. It was also great to have that team-bonding element using the nice facilities.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity from a coach’s point of view to spend more time with the players and it means we can understand them more. We’re delighted that the club has backed us and allowed us to take team for their first ever tour.”
