Leeds United

Leeds United best prepared for COVID-19 – warning signs and January prep

The COVID-19 pandemic has swept the world leaving devastation in its path. To slow its march, steps needed to be taken and one of those steps was the idea of social distancing. It was this that locked down not only society but also sport. Competitions were closed off and seasons locked down with some declared as void. All clubs were affected. Leeds United was one of those more readily prepared runs a story from The Athletic.

In this article, Phil Hay, formerly of the Yorkshire Evening Post, relays a video interview he undertook with Rob Price, head of medicine at Leeds United. It is through Price’s words that Whites fans can really get a feel of just what went on behind the scenes at Elland Road as the Whites medical and backroom staff started to put plans into place long before many would have expected.

Hay reports that Price, a physiotherapist with 20 years experience of elite sports involvement, met with a virologist and epidemiologist to set out what it was that Leeds were potentially facing up to. Price recounts that he “read about four or five new journal papers every night, just to try and keep up” as he discussed the pace and danger of what the Whites could potentially be facing.

Hay adds that the Leeds United medical team were discussing COVID-19 as early as late-January and were looking at what steps might need to be put in place should European football, as it proved to be, was shut down. On this Price says: “as a club, we started planning really early. We saw the warning signs from what was happening in China and it meant that to a certain degree we were ahead of the curve when things started to change here.

This planning aforethought allowed Leeds United to gather together packs of equipment that were able to be distributed to each player when the decision was made to stop whole-group training at Thorp Arch. This meant when the lockdown was announced, that night Leeds players received “aerobic bikes, gym balls, mats, harnesses with GPS trackers and a TRX (total resistance exercises) system to maintain upper body strength.”

Ahead of the curve as they were, this should allow Leeds United’s players to slot back into the rigour of match training much more fluidly than others might experience. When that date is, that’s anyone’s guess as FIFA is due to announce in the next 48 hours an indefinite time for national associations to finish their seasons.

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