Brentford’s first-team group are in the USA this month for the Premier League Summer Series.

Club ambassador Peter Gilham is part of the travelling party and will be sharing his observations over the course of the two-week tour.

Day one: Touchdown

It has been my absolute pleasure to report back from our pre-season training camps, in the form of a blog, for a number of years now.

My pearls of wisdom have been filed from various locations, in the main across Europe, such as Bad Blankenburg, Sarasota (not in Europe!), Vale do Lobo, Harsewinkel, Grassau, Bad Haring and Donaueschingen. I would hastily add that the word Bad as a prefix to a number of place names in Europe, is another word for Spa and not a poor reflection on our hosts.

Courtesy of the Premier League Summer Series, this July we find ourselves on the east coast of the United States, namely Washington DC, Philadelphia and Atlanta.

The group had an early morning meet at the training ground on Monday before heading off for the comparatively short journey to Luton Airport and then the comparatively long journey to Thurgood Marshall Airport based in Baltimore. 

We took off at 11.50am and arrived at our destination 2.35pm. Just a matter of 165 minutes later, plus of course the five hours difference!

Such is the attention to detail on Brentford pre-season training camps nowadays, the real concern of jet lag was addressed by our nutritionist together with our sleep coach who produced an excellent pre and in-flight nutrition and travel tip guide to aid recovery from the sudden change to the body clock. Part of it was a 30-minute walk within 20 or so minutes of our arrival, which was undertaken in 30°C heat. It was then time for dinner followed by the excitement of retiring to our beds.  

Day two: No concessions made

Our first full day started with breakfast from 7am and then a walk at 8am.

Being located in the capital city of the USA, world-renowned landmarks are all within easy reach.

Just over two kilometres away is the Lincoln Memorial where many US Presidents have been inaugurated, and where in 1963 Martin Luther King Jr delivered his historic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

Training followed at 11am and again on the journey to the training ground we passed not only the Lincoln Memorial, but also Arlington Cemetery which houses in excess of 400,000 graves including that of John F Kennedy, American war hero Audie Murphy and poignantly the seven astronauts killed on Space Shuttle Challenger.

Just a short way further down the road we passed The Pentagon which is the second largest office building in the world, and the HQ of the US Department of Defence. 

The humidity is pushing 90 per cent in this part of the US, but no concessions were made in respect of training and the gym session which followed immediately afterwards, apart from plenty of water breaks.

By early afternoon it was back to the hotel for lunch and a somewhat restful period following the morning’s exertions. Group discussion with the relevant coaches took place after evening dinner, then it was time for bed which must have felt like Shangri-La to many. 

Day three: Team bonding

Overnight Tuesday/Wednesday saw the forecasted thunderstorms target our part of Washington which on stepping outside had partially cleared the oppressive atmosphere (meteorologically speaking).

However, it didn’t stop 16 hardy souls going on an early morning run at 6am which took in the White House, a round trip of just over five kilometres! 

Breakfast was from 7am while training started earlier at 10am. At the training centre there were a few recognisable faces visiting including club chair Cliff Crown and ambassador Marcus Gayle.

The intensity was obvious throughout the training session with the normally dreaded ice baths eagerly anticipated by a number of players.

What is also obvious though is how much this squad of players enjoy being put through their paces, knowing full well it will stand them in good stead for the challenges that lay ahead over the ensuing days and indeed the next 10 months.

The day ended with the squad of players being split into five groups, each of which was hosted by member of the coaching and football staff, in an excellent ‘getting to know you’ exercise across a number of different restaurants. It struck me as an innovative idea and the perfect way for the coaches and staff who may deal with that group of players to gain a better understanding of each other, which can only have a positive effect.   

It was then time for bed with thoughts of the following day’s double training session the perfect medicine to send the players off to sleep.