Thursday 2 July 2015 19:41, UK
With the big kick-off to the new season less than six weeks away, the race is well and truly on to ensure fitness and skill levels are at peak condition.
Pre-season has begun for many clubs up and down the country this week, with players put through their paces for the first time since their summer break.
The dreaded bleep test is just one gruelling assessment, while days are filled with long-distance running and gym work rather than ball work.
But what's it really like to go through pre-season as a professional footballer? Fulham forward Matt Smith, got back down to business along with the rest of the squad, on Monday and tells skysports.com the annual regime - one that has seen him "throw up a few times" is a necessary evil.
'Exhaustion'
"I don’t think any player is going to say they love the pre-season schedule, but it's what's needed. You need to put in the hard miles for that four to six-week period to obviously reap the benefits over the course of the season," Smith said.
"It is extremely tough, especially when you are asked to work to your maximum. So when you run to exhaustion or put yourself through anything to get to that level of burnout, it is going to be uncomfortable.
"I have definitely thrown up a few times in pre-season, that's not overly unusual for me, but you just try to get through it as best as you can. Nowadays, though, the program set out by the coaches is a lot more structured and controlled in the majority of cases.
"The pleasing thing is that it is not like an individual sport, you get through it together as a team and spur one another on. The other lads are dragging you through it and pushing you that bit harder. That makes it a bit more bearable."
'Monotonous'
Pre-season is a time of readjustment in the social lives of the majority of footballers, with long hours of hard graft and dedication required out on the training field and in the gym ahead of the new season.
"For that four to six-week period, it really is just training, eating, sleeping and not much in-between. It is for me anyway, others may be different," Smith added.
"The days are pretty monotonous, but it's all about getting your body ready for the new season. So there are days when you have two, maybe three, training sessions, it really varies. There is not a lot of enjoyment outside of the training and sleeping.
"For me, particularly with the frame that I have, I know it is really important to get a good pre-season under my belt so I can hit the ground running as I probably find it a bit tougher given my frame and the amount of weight I have to shift round."
As well as being a time to sharpen skills and regain fitness, it is also a time for new signings to fully integrate into their new surroundings and get acquainted with their new team-mates. Many clubs will embark upon warm weather training camps as part of their preparations.
'Motivated'
The Fulham squad will be whisked away to Portugal this weekend and will spend the rest of next week preparing for the new Championship campaign in the sunny surroundings of the coastal city of Albufeira. As well as stepping up the intensity of their pre-season regime, Smith is a firm believer that such tours can bring the squad closer together and create a feel-good factor.
"The players are with one another 24/7. That's especially good for the new signings. I have been a new signing - when at Oldham, Leeds and Fulham - and certainly it's a good place because you are constantly interacting with everyone for the entire day," he said.
"You are with each other day-in, day-out for the entire time you are away. New signings and the squad certainly see the benefit because the team bonding element is crucial to getting the spirit within the camp off to the best possible start.
"Having previously trained in heat and at altitude in the past, I know that once back in England, the benefits of that type of the training is plain to see. It’s also a change of atmosphere as well as a change of surroundings and environment. In a sense that keeps you that bit more motivated as you are not coming to the same place day in day out for four or five weeks at a time."
* Season Tickets at Craven Cottage are available to purchase now, priced from £299 for adults and from just £47 for juniors (under 17s). For more information or to buy, visit: fulhamfc.com/seasontickets
