Football in the age of quarantine
Empty streets, closed shops, and people everywhere isolated in their homes in order to protect themselves from the corona virus (COVID-19). It could be a script for a post-apocalyptic movie. But right now it our reality.
Our daily lives have changed drastically, and football is experiencing a completely unprecedented situation where players’ living rooms, dining rooms, yards and gardens have been transformed into training areas, and computers into coaches.
Following the regulations laid out by the Greek Government and the Ministry of Health, PAOK have cancelled regular training sessions until March 27, and the club is awaiting any new updated instructions or guidance that may come. During this period, and until the restrictive measures are lifted, life for the Dikefalos tou Vorra has been adjusted accordingly.
PAOK’s coaching team have developed a specific fitness program for each of the players, and each squad member is training alone, while keeping the coaches up to date about their training regimes through the advanced electronic communication systems available to them.
The rest of the staff then check the measurements and data, analyzing the performance. This is the job of Thiago Da Costa, Yiannis Tsaniklides and occupational physiologist Giorgos Ziogas, while weight and fat measurements are handled by nutritionist Ioanna Paspalas.
The head of the medical team, Makis Papasoulis, and Sakis Kapoula, the club’s Head of Physio, are in constant communication with the players and oversee both the training progress, and the recovery of those with injuries.
At the same time, even though we do not yet know when this season will end, PAOK has taken all the necessary steps for the new season. The Dikefalos tou Vorra has already booked the Horst athletic center in the Netherlands with open dates from July 1st to July 25th, and is awaiting developments to finalize its (ongoing) planning ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.