“We play at an intermediate level and we have high demands”, in the amateur world, how do you manage the winter break ?

Les Agathois (en blanc) ont joué un match amical le 5 janvier. RCOA

During the end-of-year celebrations, the championships stop and the teams organize themselves rigorously to resume the thread of the season in the best conditions. Explanations with the clubs of Agde (N3) and Grau-du-Roi (R1).

“This period is fundamental. When the championship starts again, it's like a final sprint, there are points to take very quickly, so it is very important to prepare well.” Florian Henry, the physical trainer of RCO Agathois (5th in group J of N3) does not take the winter break lightly.

On the contrary, in collaboration with the staff, he also put in place a precise strategy to recover a squad in full possession of its means when the time came to resume the thread of the championship, last Saturday (1-0 victory against Aigues-Mortes): “The players stopped from December 20 to 30, he explains. They had a program adapted to their playing time with jogging, speed sessions… When they resumed, we did a track test to see if there had been any excesses and if the programs had been respected.”

Morgan Marion: “80 sessions in five months”

Even in Regional 1, rigor is required. The Grau-du-Roi players stopped from December 22 and 30. The Gardois had a date with the Departmental Cup on January 5 before the top-of-the-group clash against Atlas Paillade on Saturday January 11. “Since July 19, we've had 80 sessions,” notes coach Morgan Marion. “We told the players that if we took nine points out of nine in December, we would start again on the 30th instead of December 26. That was the case.”

And if the highest regional level is amateur, the requirement is almost professional: “It's integrated by the 25 players in the group. However, when you have boys who come back from their day's work, it's complicated to ask them to be 100% three times a week. We have discussions with them, we regulate… When you have to tell your family that you're not going on vacation because football is starting again, it's not easy but everyone plays the game. We play at an intermediate level and we have high expectations.”

And sometimes it's worth it: for his resumption match, Grau-du-Roi beat Atlas 3-0 and took advantage of it to regain the place of leader of the classification.

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