Preseason for an Adelaide amateur soccer team is a time of sunburn, sweat and tired legs. Starting in late January/early February, preseason is the time when amateur soccer teams aim to prepare for the season ahead.
Preseason is mostly about fitness. This is important as most players’ fitness levels diminish significantly in the three months between the end of the season and the start of preseason. To counteract diminishing fitness, preseason trainings consist mainly of running and body conditioning. The start of the 2019 preseason trainings will involve running at what is known as ‘The Snake Pit’, which is a particularly sandy area at Grange. The sand makes it difficult to run and therefore increases fitness more with the increased challenge. Body conditioning consists of several exercises during training such as plank holds, push-ups, sit-ups and squats. These exercises target the main areas of the body needed to be competitive at soccer: the core muscles and legs.
The sun is a force to be contended with during preseason games and trainings. Due to the harsh South Australian summer, it is always hot during preseason, meaning more sunburn, sweat and water needed. Preseason is hard enough as fitness levels are lower but running in the heat makes it even harder. In preseason games it is common to play games in thirds or quarters so to have more drinks breaks due to the heat. Preseason games are unofficial matches that do not count towards any competition. Matches are usually played against teams that would not normally play each other in the regular season. It is not uncommon for men’s teams to play women’s teams in preseason.
The teams that train the hardest in preseason tend to be the teams that end up doing well during the season. Preseason is where everyone starts from the beginning on a clean slate. It is about how you use those months before the start of the season that determines how a team’s season will go in the future.
Amateur Soccer Saturdays 