Pirates camp 2019
What are we trying to achieve at camp?
Camp gives us the opportunity to really embed all the installation and teaching we’ve done up until this point, giving us a solid foundation from which we can build towards our ultimate goal of being the most successful, most admired American football team in the UK. The goal of camp is for every player to leave having achieved two things:
1. Developed a completely secure level of comfort within all the roles they’ll be asked to undertake.
2. Developed individually, as a player, having added new skills and further honed existing skills as far as possible.
Pre-camp
It’s going to be an intensive weekend. Please make sure on the days running up to camp you sleep well, eat well and hydrate well!
Timings and welcome meeting
Please see the Schedule for full timings. We’ll be starting at 6pm on the Friday evening with dinner, then a welcome meeting. You can arrive anytime between 4pm-6pm but please make sure you’re there and ready to go for dinner. If you know you’ll be late, let Amanda know (tel: 07920252604). We’ll be finishing around 5.30pm on Sunday, and exiting the facility by 6pm.
Location
The training camp is at Strathallan School, Forgandenny, Perth, PH2 9EG. Strathallan is an independent school with great facilities. We’ve successfully held our junior and senior camps here for the last few years and it’s been used as a Commonwealth Games training facility. Visit the directions and interactive map for more location information.
Transport
We’re not providing transport to Strathallan. The nearest train station is in Perth, and then you will need to take a taxi to Strathallan, which is around £10-15. If you need a taxi back from Strathallan, you can call for a local one on 07941 640019. To reduce the number of cars on site and your costs, try and car share where possible. Offer lifts to your team mates on Facebook.
Parking and parking pass
Please park in the visitors car park which is signposted, and if this is full, there is another car park by the synthetic pitches. Do NOT park your car on any of the roadways on the campus. If you’re unsure, ask.
All cars MUST clearly display a parking pass. Car Pass – EK Pirates 29-31 March 2019 – please print this out and put your name and reg number on it and make sure it’s visible on your dashboard.
Arrival and rooms
Players will be in Woodlands House. You can arrive and get entry to your room between 4-6pm. Go directly to your boarding house – please DO NOT go to the main reception building.
Rooms are single and contain a sink, and there are shared toilet and shower facilities on each floor. The tap water in your room is drinkable. There are kitchen areas in the boarding house containing a kettle, fridge and microwave etc and a communal social area. Please remember many of the things in these areas have been bought by the students who live here in term time – so treat them accordingly. All damages must be paid for.
Changing rooms with showers are available in the bottom of theboarding house. Kit and cleats should be kept here. No cleats in the main boarding house areas please!
Meals
Included are dinner and a snack supper on the Friday, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack supper on Saturday, and breakfast and lunch on the Sunday. For breakfast, lunch and dinner you’ll be able to choose from a range of options, canteen style. If you have any special dietary requirements, please advise Amanda asap.
Valuables
Please note, the boarding houses are accessible by a swipe card, but individual rooms DO NOT lock. We will be the only parties using these boarding houses, but please be aware you bring valuables (tablets, laptops, money, watches) at your own risk
WIFI and mobile phones
There is good signal coverage for O2 and EE, and Vodafone coverage has been improved compared to previous years, but you may still find this limted to 2g in certain areas. We ask that you keep your mobile usage to break times only – mobile phones must NOT be used during meetings. Bring paper and pen for notes. if you have a special reason to need to check your phone regularly, advise your coach.
Getting around
Strathallan has a large campus but please only stay within the areas we’ll be using. Here’s a map of the facilities with our areas circled in red.
Practice surface
We will be training on a mix of grass and astro so bring suitable footwear for both. Astro shoes or trainers MUST be worn on the synthetic surfaces.
Please bring…
As well as your usual full practice kit (inlcuding lowers), things you should bring include:
– Soap/shower gel/shampoo as these aren’t provided
– Towels – these are not provided
– A spare pillow – only one is provided
– Any additional snacks / soft drinks you want
– A copy of your playbook
– Notepad and pen for meetings
– Plenty of clothes – there are six practices and you may have additional morning positional stuff. It may also be very cold with sleet/snow. Plan accordingly.
– Plenty of spare socks. Consider double-socking for practice to avoid blisters
– Flip-flops for wearing for down time
– Swimming shorts if you plan to use the pool
– Charges for any devices you bring
Pool sessions
The swimming pool will be available for a limited number of players to use for receovery purposes in two designated slots (one on Saturday and Sunday). This is limited to a maximum of 24 attendees per slot. Please note, swimming caps MUST be worn (their rules, not ours!), but these will be provided.
WIFI and mobile phones
There is good signal coverage for O2 and EE, and Vodafone coverage has been improved compared to previous years, but you may still find this limted to 2g in certain areas. We ask that you keep your mobile usage to break times only – if you have a special reason to need to check your phone regularly, advise your coach.
Paperwork
We’ll need you to complete some team paperwork over the weekend – which includes signing player agreement forms and our player code of conduct.
Please note
There will be other guests staying at Strathallan, so please keep this in mind at all times – especially with noise when moving between buildings and with bad language if there are other guests or staff around. This is a non-smoking facility, and please do not bring any alcohol. Please also do not leave kit lying about.
Share this page