Wrexham enlisted the help of a sleep expert in order to cope with the physical demands of the US tour and be fully prepared for the beginning of the EFL season next week.
Wrexham ended their pre-season tour of the States with a 1-1 draw against Philadelphia Union. The game was a really special one for club co-owner Rob McElhenney, who got to see the side he owns face off against his hometown club.
The US tour was a roaring success, but now Phil Parkinson’s attention turns firmly to the League 2 opener against MK Dons.
They’ve been getting help preparing to face the Dons using some, well, unorthodox methods.
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Sleep experts, science and months of planning
The tour was always going to be physically demanding. This is why Wrexham prepared accordingly so that they could cope before facing their first clash in the English football league.
According to a report from The Athletic, Wrexham used sleep experts, science and months of planning to cope with a demanding U.S. tour
Kevin Mulholland, Wrexham’s head of performance, medicine and sports science, spoke with the Athletic and discussed just how they prepared for their trip halfway around the world.
“Discussions as to how best to approach the trip started around February-March time,” Mulholland began.
“We looked at a lot of things, in terms of our preparation and how we would execute things once in the U.S. – nutrition, hydration and recovery were among those along with what difference flight times can make and the hotels.
“We also enlisted the help of a top sleep professional. Then discussed sleeping strategies, plus when the players should sleep on a plane and for how long. Everything we could to help the players.”
All seems very calculated…
It all seemed very calculated, with players told to the exact minute what times they should be having a little kip.
“That’s why, before heading to America, we told the players to have a 50-55 minutes nap on the travel days,” Mulholland continued. “The big challenge comes with travelling west to east (i.e. Wrexham’s return route).
“What we did was make sure our first game was on the east (in North Carolina against Chelsea), meaning the time difference (to the UK) was five hours.
“By doing that, it gave the players a couple of days to adapt to the change before we then added another three hours later in the tour (by travelling to LA and San Diego).
“Then, by having a game in Philadelphia on the way home, we were able to make a three-hour adjustment during our stay on the east coast and then fly back. That way, we minimise, as much as we can, the effect of jetlag compared to if we’d just flown straight home from San Diego.”
Let’s hope for the Red Dragons’ sake all this work isn’t for nothing. They need to start strong in the new campaign.
All will be revealed next Saturday… let’s hope the players are wide awake and on their game!